


AmBITE

by HellBunnyy



Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Everyone Is Gay, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Light Bondage, M/M, Mirror Sex, Multiple Pairings, Multiple Partners, Mutual Pining, References to Depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2019-11-19 15:07:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 42,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18137351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HellBunnyy/pseuds/HellBunnyy
Summary: Aoba is at university and is losing interest in life. Honestly? He just wants to get laid and actually enjoy it. He's missing a little adventure and feels like there's a bit more to his existence. Will he find his ambition between new coworkers, friends at school, a hot new band, or a mysterious motorcycle gang?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! I know Dramatical Murder is a little old school, but it still has such a place in my heart, so please enjoy! (edit: idk why it's saying chapter 1/1. There will be more chapters!)

My tongue is clicking for a bite of ambition, or maybe something a little stronger. I’m tired of the same faces. It’s almost like I can’t see anymore. Everything looks the same. Everyone looks identical. It’s all bleeding together like some ugly oil painting you’d find in a thrift store.

What am I doing? I toss my phone on the bed and fall face-first into my unmade blankets. I’m so damn bored with life.

I figured college would be the best way to extend that unspoken grace period for getting your shit together. I was good in school – not intelligent by any means, but diligent. At least until now. I’ll go to class tomorrow. I promise.

Sure, just like the last two weeks you promised yourself you would. I’m gaining nothing. I have nothing. But at least I still want something. What that may be, though? Not a clue. 

I scroll through Instagram, through people just as boring as the faces around me every day, save for a few cosplayers and artists of sorts. I want… to want something. I want… 

To escape the normalcy of it all. Adventure feels so close to me, like a not-so-typical life is perfectly parallel to my own. It’s so close it feels like a dream.

Ren stretches awake when I shift.

Like the eerie dream I had last night where Ren could talk. His voice was deep as shit, too. It was creepy, but almost comical.

He curls up in a ball and sighs, attempting to nap again – most likely just as bored as I am. He’d probably call me a loser if he actually could talk.

I scroll and scroll, bored out of my mind but doing anything possible to avoid the assignments piling up in my computer. Pictures of cats. Pictures of nauseatingly happy couples. My stomach twists. Is that what I want? Not really.

I want. I want.

Passion. 

It’s been almost a year since I’ve gotten laid. Am I just frustrated again?

Fresh into college, I ran with it. Plenty of girls showed interest in me; I always had my pick when I started feeling lonely. Nice girls who just wanted a nice time. I liked most of them, honestly. But I was bored. I didn’t feel much when the time came to get in bed.

I started wondering if I even felt attraction to women at all. I mean, sure. The idea of women turned me on enough, so why? I always got it up but couldn’t get into it. I always left feeling more drained and inconvenienced than satisfied. I started thinking about men.

I’d had a few guys hit on me before, but it never went anywhere. I never entertained the idea of not being straight in my average little world. I started to question what “normal” was and why I had to abide by its rules. Who said? Who decided? That’s when the cravings started.

I started to think I was gay, that my sexuality would pique once I embraced it. Of course, I was wrong.

Having no idea how to approach a guy on campus, I turned to dating apps. Finding a male hookup was a lot more difficult. I found myself becoming obsessed to the point of swiping through profiles during class, casually cupping my hand over my phone to hide the shame of tinder-level desperation. 

Match after match, I became disappointed. I topped, I bottomed. I cried alone in my bed wondering what was wrong with me and eventually gave up altogether.

Again, much like the women I’d been with, I enjoyed their company. I had nothing against them. They were nice people, but I was forcing myself to feel interested. Was I just that apathetic?

At some point I started questioning myself. Do I even like sex? I like the idea of it. I get turned on almost too easily. I like women. I like men. So why?

Maybe I’m just better at getting myself off. That’s really sad. Ha.

Maybe I’m only sexually attracted to music. I’ve never dated a musician. Maybe I’ll take off and be a band groupie. Maybe I’ll finally choose a major and pursue a career in audio or band-management. Fuck. What am I saying? 

I put my headphones on, click a random playlist, and turn out my lights. I intentionally forget to set my alarm so I don’t wake up for class.

I’ve never heard this particular song. So goth. So edge. His voice is beautiful, sexy. Bleak, but full and smooth at the same time. I’m definitely attracted to men, damn it. I can imagine the vocalist, how he smells and looks. Tattoos? Piercings? Maybe he smells faintly of cigarette smoke and spicy cologne. Maybe his tongue tastes a little like whiskey. I can imagine him pinning my wrists above my head…

I close my eyes and let my imagination do its thing. He whispers a dark line of poetry and a shock runs through my body. But soon enough, it ends, and a familiar song takes its place.

I feel cold. I feel empty. I feel frustrated for being an impressionable young man with the world at my fingertips and not being able to hold it properly. Everyone wants something. People are supposed to have dreams and fall in love. What am I doing?

I think about Granny. She always wanted me to be Aoba and only Aoba. Who am I? How could I be so dense? I was lucky enough to be raised around a doctrine of individuality, but I’m still caught in the flow of what everyone else is doing. Maybe that’s what’s wrong. I’m looking for happiness in the wrong places. But where do I go?

Another song by the same artist as before begins to play. How come I’ve never heard of this band? They’re damn good. I click my phone screen awake to see the artist name.

“BENISHIGURE.”

I’ll look more into them after work tomorrow. 

I close my eyes, and unanticipated tears squeeze out. Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Glad some of you have liked this work so far. i'll do my best to update regularly! hope you enjoy!

The store is a little slow today, leaving me to my thoughts. Three years ago, the idea of slow business was the exact reason I applied for work at this particular shop. Now, I’d rather be a corporation slave just to stay busy and distracted.

I tap my fingers on the outdated laminate countertop and sigh. Something’s gotta give. This emptiness is interfering with school and now with work too. I go to reorganize an already-organized display of ink cartridges when the bell dings. Thank god. A customer. Please ask me a difficult question. Please keep me busy. I keep rearranging boxes without looking up, waiting a moment to say anything so as not to seem overbearing.

“Hi, lemme know if I can help you out with anything today,” I recite. Customer service is like a language all its own. It’s gross and annoying, but it flows from my mouth like a native tongue.

“Thanks.”

I finally look up after being met with the most disinterested ‘thanks’ I’ve ever heard. Well shit. 

I end up fumbling and knocking one of the little square boxes off the shelf at the sight of him. I bend down to pick it up and pray he didn’t pay me any mind. 

He’s…pretty hot. Dark blond hair sticks out from under a green and black beanie. Kinda punk. Pierced. But more than anything, his aura is attractive. He doesn’t carry himself like a normal person – maybe a little overconfident, but refined. Alluring, but borderline hostile. 

I compose myself after remembering I’m getting paid to be here. 

“Umm, anything in particular you’re looking for today?” I’m required to ask, even though I’m sure he’d rather be left alone.

“This.”

He holds up a small computer part and locks eyes with me. I never imagined green could be such a fierce color, but here I stand, a little floored. 

Maybe it was because I’m used to primarily doing business with computer nerds or secretaries buying office supplies in bulk. Maybe I’m just being thirsty after beating myself up last night.

Maybe he’s just that striking.

Yeah and maybe it’s fucking Maybelline, dumbass. Get back to work.

“Ah. Uhh… will that be all?” I ask, slipping back behind the counter. He must have known exactly what he wanted and where to find it, all while I was being a clumsy moron.

“Yeah,” he says, looking around the shop with slow eye movements, but still seemingly disinterested. 

I’m not quite sure how to respond, so I give a quick nod and key in his item. Why are my fingers acting so slow? Am I really that nervous?

“Well, was also kinda wondering if you’re hiring,” he adds.

I swallow. Are we? My boss is probably losing profit just from paying me alone. 

“Probably not at the moment… business is kind of slow here. Um,” I mumble over the transaction, “I mean. But I can ask my boss I-if you want.” Smooth, Aoba. As always. 

I hand him his bagged item and his receipt, having no choice but to make eye contact with the stranger. He looks at me as if waiting for something to happen, like he’s waiting for me to do something.

Suddenly it hits. Dumbass. 

“Oh! Sorry, my boss isn’t here right now. I… I can take your name and contact info if you want.”

He raises a pierced eyebrow as I dig around for a notepad and pen.

“Leaves you here alone often?”

A strangely-phrased question, but I guess the situation seems just as strange from his end. 

“Um. Yeah… he kinda leaves the store to me sometimes when he makes deliveries.”

“Weird.”

Another one-word reply. I sneak another long glimpse at his face when I hand him the notepad. This boy’s face is thirty percent metal, and it isn’t bad to look at. It’s kind of refreshing to see someone with a unique style around here. I stare at his hands as he writes; they’re bandaged. Hm.

He slides the pad back toward me and makes a little saluting motion with two fingers, then he turns and walks away.

“Cool hair, by the way,” he adds with nonchalance.

The bell dings again, and the shop takes on a lonely atmosphere once more.

Blunt, but charming nonetheless. The idea of this guy possibly being my coworker suddenly hits, and it leaves me with a weird feeling in my gut. Doubtful, but still possible. Why would he want to work at a boring place like this? Maybe the same reason as me. Does he go to my university? He looked to be around my age, maybe a little younger. What was up with the bandages? Does he get in fights? Is he just a klutz? Is it some weird fashion statement? Why am I thinking so much about it? What. TheFuck, Aoba?

Well, at least it’s something to think about besides the plunging emptiness in my brain. I glance down at the paper where the customer wrote his info. 

Noiz. Interesting. My heart jumps a little at the idea of holding his number in my hands, so I put it away for Haga to look at later.

An anxious pit is drilling in my stomach, and I can’t pinpoint why. Is it a bad feeling? A good feeling? Is it because he said my hair is cool? 

Regardless, I should focus on closing up shop. An orange glow fills the store windows, and I know it’s time to leave for the day.

 

I go back to my apartment to do a whole lot of nothing. I scroll through Instagram again, but this time I look up a certain band.

BENISHIGURE. Visual Kei extraordinaire who just recently took off. Only the vocalist, Koujaku, has an Instagram. As expected, he’s attractive as hell. He has a traditional Japanese vibe going on, and it’s hot.

Follow.

I decide to take Ren for a walk even though it’s dark. We both need the exercise. Sometimes I feel like I’m trapped in this apartment. 

Ren does a cute little dance down the outside stairs, hopping around to avoid tangling in his leash. His excitement keeps me going sometimes, since he has enough pep for the both of us. 

Should I walk around campus or go a different route this time? Maybe I’ll try something new. I turn left and wander into a more urban area. The neon lights are somehow comforting, along with the sound of Ren’s paws tapping happily on the pavement. 

After walking a ways, we come to a seedier area. I’m about to turn around when I hear a slow whistle. Oh boy.

“What do you think you’re doing in Scratch territory, pretty boy?” 

Scratch? Aren’t they like a modern day Hell’s Angels? Shit. Do I keep walking or turn around? Both would be bad. Either way, I lose, and I’m probably about to get beaten to the core. Instead, I stop in my tracks and pick Ren up. I just want Ren to be safe. I don’t want us both to get hurt.

I hear heavy footsteps approach me, attached to a dark silhouette. Soon, three more follow. No no no. 

“I asked you a question, pretty boy,” the talkative one says. He has short blond hair and a square face, and he’s wearing a ripped denim vest. Pretty standard motorcycle gang member. The others look similar and approach in the same intimidating manner. 

“Walking my dog,” I explain carefully, “I didn’t know this was your territory. I’ll be going now.”

“Not so fast, let’s chat a minute,” one of the other hooligans teases, making a punching motion with his hands. 

“Yeah, we should teach him a lesson so he remembers whose turf this is,” another one agrees. 

A few more gang members step up behind me and grab my arms. Ren jumps to the ground and growls, barely audible against the commotion of the situation. I feel a punch to my stomach and hear Ren bark, then whimper. One more punch to my jaw makes me lose my balance, and I’m left at the mercy of thugs. 

“Say, isn’t he a pretty thing? That pale skin…” one of them says. It leaves an uncomfortable pit in my stomach.

“What are you saying? You a limp-wrist now?” one of the other thugs replies.

“I don’t know, I think he’s right. It’s been a while for me anyway,” another one says, pushing himself closer to me.

I struggle more at their conversation, knowing what’s about to happen to me. Ren barks again and is kicked out of the way with a yelp. Ren. 

“Let me go, you freaks,” I spit, suddenly fired up.

I hear the flap of wings and see a motherfucking cockatoo of all things swoop down and drag Ren away by its beak. What the hell is even going on? These people really are as wild as they say.

“Leave the dog alone for fuck’s sake,” a deep and disinterested voice echoes in the alleyway. The bird drags Ren to safety and flaps away to the owner of the voice, a tall and imposing man. 

“What’d he do?” he asks.

“This pretty boy here was trespassing,” the first member explains.

“Let him go. We’re going north,” the tall man says. He walks up to me and grabs me by the shirt, pulling me close to his face. 

“Consider this a lucky day,” he grunts. He smells like cinnamon and tobacco. Some sort of foreign fear stirs inside of me, something I’ve never felt before. “Next time, your ass is ours.” He shoves me backward and motions for his gang to follow. 

Ren runs up to me, barking, but it’s soon drowned out by the sound of motorcycles revving. I pick him up and check him for any wounds, which is difficult in the dark, but he seems to be unscathed. I wipe blood from my mouth and slowly turn around. Ren can stay in my arms the whole way home. I’m shaking and scared, and I just want to shower. I feel contaminated. I wonder if anything that just happened was even real. 

I feel shaken in a way that I feel will linger for a while, and I jump at every sound the whole way home. 

Finally back inside, I lock the door and slide down to the floor. I fall asleep just like that, with Ren in my arms.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Day early update because I actually have wifi right now. I'll be honest; I'm not sure where this fic is going. I think it's mostly going to be an Aoba x Noiz story, but I'll have other pairings too. Thanks again for reading and for any feedback!

Waking up for work the next day is almost painful. I don’t want to face anyone with this face. I’m swollen and bruised and I don’t want to answer questions. I settle on saying that I was mugged and decide to leave it at that. 

I wonder what Granny would think if she saw me, if she’d think I was back to my old ways of getting in fights. That’s probably what most people back home would think. 

Haga was of course very concerned to see me, and he offered to let me have the day off. The offer tempts me still, but I need to work. I need to keep my mind off of what happened last night. Instead, I think of my cozy little place in the universe; suddenly life doesn’t seem so bad. I have a job and an education and a loyal dog. Isn’t that all I need?

I find myself wishing for a customer, when I remember that boy, Noiz. That’s right; I’m supposed to let Haga know.

“Haga!” I call, searching for him. I find him in the back tinkering with his useless robot. Maybe if this were fifty years in the future, he would be handier. More than anything, the robot knocks things over while insisting he’s cleaning. 

“Oh! Aoba! Need something?” he asks cordially. 

“Well, we had a customer come in yesterday asking if we were hiring. I got his contact info. What do?”

“Wonderful! Someone to make deliveries for me while we stay in the shop.”

“You’re serious? You won’t lose profit?”

“That’s beside the point, Aoba,” he lowers his voice and makes a sullen face. Sheesh. “Can you call him and tell him to come in for an interview? Tomorrow morning!”

“Sure thing!” I take the order with zest, as always, but I gulp. I have to call this Noiz character? By myself? Since when was Haga hiring, anyway?

I make my way back to the front of the shop to dig for the notepad he’d written on. His handwriting is horrible, and I almost can’t make out the numbers. My heart races as I punch each number on the old-school telephone. I pray the number is right, but I also pray he doesn’t answer.

“Yeah,” a voice picks up.

Shit. 

“Um… hi… is this Noiz?” I venture.

“Yes.”

“Umm… this is Aoba from Heibon Office Supplies.”

“Ah. Blue boy,” he says, sounding a little more interested.

“My boss wants you to come in for an interview tomorrow morning if possible,” I say with professionalism. I won’t let him get to me.

“I’ll be there,” he muses, back to his disinterested tone of voice.

“Great. See you then.” I hang up the phone with haste and clutch my chest. How am I going to handle working with this guy? At least he’ll be on deliveries most of the time. He’s going to be so distracting. 

 

The next day arrives and I hardly want to get out of bed. It’s Noiz day. I groan.

I look at my face in the mirror and wonder why the timing had to be so bad? This guy will be sure to say something about my bruises. I can almost hear it.

I put on a little extra cologne than usual, like that’ll impress anyone with the way my face looks. I sigh. I’m being pathetic.

I pat Ren goodbye and leave the apartment. 

Walking anywhere now has become a chore. I feel like Scratch will pop out of the shadows and murder me. My way to work in broad daylight shouldn’t be scary.

I arrive at Heibon and make my way in. Haga is already there, tinkering around as usual. I take my place at the counter and wait for whatever was going to happen. 

Soon enough, Noiz walks in with the ding of a bell, and my eyes can’t look away. He’s dressed in black slacks, a white dress shirt with the collar unbuttoned, and a black blazer. Shit. He has no business coming in here looking so good. I wonder how his  
piercings will affect his interview. Probably not at all, knowing Haga. He hired me with blue hair, after all. 

“What happened to you? Girlfriend beat you up?” he asks with indifference. 

Very funny.

“Joke’s on you, I don’t have a girlfriend,” I say miserably, head resting on my hand. 

“Interesting,” he says, when Haga walks up.

“Mr. Noiz! So nice to meet you. Right this way into my office,” he beckons. 

Just like that, he disappears. What an interaction. This was going to be hell. 

They’re gone for a little while and I find myself curious as to what they’re saying. I want to know more about him, but I sure as hell don’t want to ask. I step a little closer to the office, hoping I can pick up on something through the thin door. 

“Oh! Aoba goes to the same university. Did you two know each other before?”

“No, sir.” Noiz answers politely.

Shit, so we do go to the same school. Weird. 

“Well, I can work with you around your schedule, so just let me know if you need anything. That’s about all I wanted to ask! You can start today if you like. Aoba can show you the ropes while I make some deliveries.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll do my best.”

No. He can’t start today. He’ll mess up his clothes or something. Anything. Any excuse.

“Let’s find you a Heibon shirt. You look to be about a medium, hm?”

Ugh. I can’t win. I hurry back to my place at the counter before they walk out and see me standing there. That would be awkward. I take out a desk drawer and start to organize it to make myself look busy.

“Aoba! Noiz is all yours today,” Haga’s voice rings out through the shop. Wish he was all mine tonight. Wait. What? Get your mind out of the gutter, Aoba. 

“Wait, I have to train him?” I ask, letting it really sink in.

“Unless you’d rather make deliveries,” Haga suggests. I think about what happened to me the night before last and decide I’d rather stay inside. This was going to be a pain.

 

“So when someone returns something, you want to key it in like this,” I explain. Noiz had gotten uncomfortably close as I showed him how to work the register. “And then… then…” I find it impossible to focus under Noiz’s scrutiny. “Do you have to like, stare at me?”

“I’m just looking at you while you’re talking.”

“It’s uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t think it was weird,” he says with as much sincerity as his nonchalant voice would allow. If he really doesn’t think it’s weird then… I sigh.

“Fine. Maybe I’m the one being weird.”

“You’ve been weird ever since I met you, so I’d say so.” 

This guy… 

“How old are you anyway? For you to be such a brat, hm?”

“Nineteen. You?”

“Twenty-three,” I reply. “So you’re a freshman?”

“How do you know if I even go to school?”

Shit. Nice slip up, Aoba.

“I-I don’t, I just assumed,” I try to cover up my tracks. With that, Noiz brings his face close to mine to look into my eyes. What the hell is he doing?

“You’re really awkward. Is there a reason for that? Do I scare you?” he asks. This punk. As if a nineteen-year-old would scare me. I gulp.

“And you’re really close. Is there a reason for that? Do I interest you?” I decide to give him a taste of his own medicine, but he goes unfazed. 

“Yeah, you do. ‘Cause you’re really weird,” he answers. 

“Well. I guess work ought to be pretty interesting for you then. Screw me, right?”

“If that’s what you’re into,” he retorts. Who birthed him to be so witty?

I feel a blush take over my face. “It’s none of your business what I’m into.”

“So you are into men,” he states.

“I never said that. What does it matter anyway?”

“It doesn’t. I’m just trying to figure you out. Maybe you’re so jumpy because you find me attractive.” 

Nail on the head. 

“How conceited of you,” I say, attempting to hide my flustered nature.

“I just like getting to the bottom of things.” I flinch at the word bottom. “So do you?”

“Do I *what*,” I snap.

“Find me attractive?” A small smile plays at the corners of his mouth, and I know he’s having fun with this now. 

“I’m not even going to entertain that question,” I snark back. 

“Pretty sure I just got my answer, but okay.”

Just then, Haga walks back in from one of his runs. 

“You boys getting along?” he asks, expecting it to be a redundant question. Before I could consider saying that I was being sexually harassed, Noiz answers.

“Yes. I’m learning a lot,” he replies, back to his carefree vibe. He was trying to figure *me* out? He’s the impossible one. 

“Good! Why don’t you two take a lunch break? I’ll handle the shop for now,” he suggests.

“Sounds good,” Noiz says, standing up and stretching. His blue Heibon shirt lifts ever so slightly, and I can see his tight stomach underneath. Good heavens. Haga walks away and leaves me and Noiz back to our bickering. However, I have a change of heart and decide to try being nice.

“Do you wanna go get lunch?” I ask.

“Are you asking me out on a date?” he teases. I could almost slap him at this point.

“No. I’m asking if you wanna go get lunch. Because we’re on break. And I’m hungry. And I’ll probably be able to tolerate you better with food in my stomach.”

“I’m just teasing, don’t be so uptight. We should get pizza.”

This was going to be a long day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's update time! I hope you all enjoy where this story is going so far, and I hope it's not too slow paced. As always, your kudos and feedback are much appreciated! xoxo

After another grueling day of work with Noiz, I decide to go to my evening class for the day. I feel invigorated with the change of scenery at work, and as much as he annoys me, he’s probably good for me. I might actually be making a friend. 

The air is beautiful today, and I inhale it as I walk through rows of blooming trees. Campus really is pretty, and it feels almost new since I haven’t been to class in so long. I have a lot of work to do when I get home. 

I make my way to the social studies building for my history class, and I think about all the weird looks I’m going to get, specifically from my professor. I’m noticeable with my hair, so people tend to notice when I’m missing too. I brace myself and breathe, trying to control my anxiety. I’m not ready to face people, especially since my face isn’t totally healed. No telling what they’ll think. 

I take a deep breath and pass through the open door of the classroom, looking down so I don’t have to see anyone. I start to make a beeline for my seat at the front of the class (which is my favorite so I can ignore everyone behind me), when I hear a familiar voice ring out in the classroom. 

“Aoba-san came to class today!” 

A blur of white stampedes toward me. I’d forgotten Clear was in this class. Oh boy. Am I mentally prepared enough for this?

“Aoba-san! I missed you!” he says through a hug. We’d settled on him calling me ‘Aoba-san,’ which was still embarrassing, after a phase of him calling me ‘master.’ I couldn’t take the humiliation anymore. The whole class probably thinks I’m his dom or something. 

“I-I missed you too, Clear.”

“Aoba-san… what happened to your face? Did you get in a fight to defend your honor?”

“Leave him alone, Clear,” another voice says, “It’s not nice to ask people about scars.” Luckily, one of the other guys in class I’d become acquainted with stopped him.

“Oh. Sorry,” he says, making a feigned tearful face. Clear is undoubtedly cute; he just doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.

“How’ve you been, Aoba?” the other voice asks as I sit down. His name is Mizuki, and he’s a little punk. Tattoos, dark red-brown hair, really friendly and attractive. He was often the moderator between me and Clear in this class.

“I’ve just been working a lot,” I say, which is the truth.

“Well at least you haven’t been lying in bed like we thought you were,” he teases. 

I start to feel more at ease, finally back in class with my friends. 

“I’ve been working a lot too,” Mizuki says, “It’s been hell trying to balance school and work, but I’m making it.”

Clear sits down next to me and smiles. His innocence is almost painful. It’s kind of refreshing, though, on the same level. 

“Where do you work?” I ask Mizuki. 

“I have a tattoo parlor in the city.” 

“Nice,” I say, genuinely impressed at how he can manage tattooing and classes. 

“I work at an animal shelter!” Clear says triumphantly. I didn’t even know he worked. An animal shelter suits him. 

“It’s not a very big one, and the vet that comes in sometimes, Mink-san, is really scary. But he likes animals a lot. He doesn’t like people though, and he barely talks, so he only volunteers at the shelter instead of having his own office. And the front desk lady   
yells at me sometimes when-“

Clear continues on, and we listen to him babble excitedly until class starts. 

 

When class is over, Clear suggests that the three of us should go get dinner to celebrate my return to school.

“You’ll find any reason to celebrate, won’t you, Clear?” Mizuki says as he collects his bag.

“It’s a good reason,” he defends. 

“Sorry, I’d love to, but I really need to get back to my shop. I’ve left it to my team for too long as it is.”

“Aoba-san???” he looks at me with big pink eyes, wet and shiny and begging. 

“Okay. But I can’t stay out too long. I have lots of schoolwork to catch up on,” I agree.

“Yay! Where should we go? I don’t eat out very often. If I’d known you were coming, I would’ve said let’s have a picnic!”

“It’s dark.”

“Oh. You’re so smart, Aoba-san!”

I recommend a quiet restaurant a few blocks down, and we’re on our way. However, I suggest dropping our bags off at my place since it’s on the way, and I invite Clear to meet Ren since he likes animals so much. He’s all too thrilled as we make our way up the stairs. 

I open the door, and Ren seems happy to see a guest. He doesn’t get double attention very often. His fluffy tail wags. 

“Hi, Ren!” Clear pats his head and ruffles his ears, and Ren licks his hand in return. Looks like they get along well. I set my bag down and convince Clear that he’ll have more time to play with Ren when we come back, and it seems to work. He gives Ren one last   
pat, as do I, and we make our way to the restaurant. 

Once inside, we take a seat at a circular booth, which I figured would be best with Clear’s loud nature, and we look at the menus. Clear babbles incessantly while we wait for our server.

“One time, I was trying to get this really big mastiff back into his kennel, and I got tangled in his leash and fell. I hurt my arm really bad, and Mink-san had to fully break it and then bend it back into place so it would heal. He did it like it was nothing! I was crying,” he rambles. 

This Mink sounds like a strange character himself. No wonder the secretary gets snappy with those two around. I silently wonder if I’ve worked with her before, as most secretaries in the area come to Heibon for supplies. 

“…got out again, and I was trying to get him back in his kennel with a cast on my arm. Then I forgot our resident cat was out too, and the mastiff, named Kenny by the way, started chasing poor Felix. It was a disaster.”

Sounds like it. I know Clear will do all the talking tonight, and it leaves me wondering why he likes me so much. I don’t do a whole lot of talking with him around, and it’s hard for me to maintain a normal conversation with him. Luckily, he asks a lot of questions, and it makes it seem like I’m talking more when I answer. 

“Do you like cats, Aoba-san? A lot of people with dogs don’t like cats.”

“Yeah, I like cats. I just prefer dogs.”

“I’m glad to hear that! It makes me sad when people don’t like cats. I love their little paws,” he adds.

“Do you like birds? Mink-san has a cockatoo that he trained really well. It’s almost like they have some sort of telepathy.”

A shock runs through me. I think of the last time I saw a cockatoo, and I shudder. I think of that intimidating man’s words of warning. ‘Next time, your ass is ours.’ There won’t be an intentional next time, but what if there is a next time? What if I can’t control it?

“Oh no, you must not like birds,” Clear says. “That’s okay, they’re not for everyone.” 

“No, birds are okay, I just got a little headache there,” I laugh, trying not to worry Clear. 

“Oh, am I talking too much? Mizuki says I do that sometimes.” Clear looks a little downcast.

“No, no. I like listening to you talk. You’re interesting. You don’t talk like other people,” I say quickly so he doesn’t get sad. He does talk a lot, but I’m being honest. 

“Thank you, Aoba-san! That means so much coming from you!” he gleams.

“Hey, Clear?” I begin, not sure how to ask this question, “Why do you like me so much?” 

Clear blushes a little and looks down. Oh boy. What a cute face. 

“Because Aoba-san is Aoba-san, and he’s my friend.”

I sigh. About what I expected, but adorable nonetheless. I smile. “Okay.”

Our server comes back to take our order, and she can’t stop looking at Clear. I wonder if she finds him attractive or if she finds him weird. Albino people are few and far between, but it isn’t a reason to stare. Eventually, she speaks up.

“Weren’t you in here earlier today?” she asks him. Was he? Did he follow me here again just because I suggested it?

“Hm? No. This is my first time here. It’s very lovely.”

“Are you sure you didn’t just change clothes and come back? ‘Cause I served someone who looked exactly like you at lunch. I mean. Exactly,” she explains. 

“Oh! That must have been one of my brothers! I’m a triplet,” he says with confidence. She looks suspicious but decides to believe him.

We place our orders and watch as she walks off. 

“Clear, I didn’t know you were a triplet. That’s pretty cool.”

“Yeah, but my brothers are kind of mean. They bully me because I’m different and like ‘girly’ things. They work at a skate shop and do graffiti and stuff. We don’t talk very much and we don’t live together anymore. I saved up enough money to get away from them,” Clear explains with sadness in his voice. As he talks softly, his voice becomes almost tangible to me. What a beautiful voice he has. 

“You have a really nice voice,” I say, wondering why the hell I did. It just came out. 

“T-thank you, Aoba-san,” he says, bashful now. Maybe that was too much. 

The night goes on, and we finish our meals and chit chat. I find out Clear is mega-smart, that he’s here on scholarships, and that he wants to be a vet himself. 

“I ask Mink-san for pointers, but the front desk lady, Yuki, says I should ask another vet. She says Mink-san isn’t very professional.”

“Sounds like he’s really not,” I pitch in. What kind of vet only pops in to an animal shelter sometimes without having his own practice? Does he have a side job? Who gave him authority to break Clear’s arm back into place? The whole thing sounds suspicious.

My head starts pounding, and it’s the first time in a while I’ve had to deal with one of my headaches. Granny’s medicine must not have worked too well today, or maybe I was just extra stressed. 

We leave the restaurant after paying and make our way back to my apartment. It’s even darker than when we arrived, and I start to feel a little nervous. I walk fast, and Clear keeps up without saying anything about it. He seems oddly quiet.

“Hey, Aoba-san? I have a question.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Have you ever thought about boys?” I tense up, but his question is so innocent that I have to answer honestly.

“Yeah. I think about boys a lot,” I admit.

“Really?! My brothers always called me a… faggot… and I didn’t think that was a very nice word. And now I find myself not interested in girls at all the way I should be.”

“Clear, you don’t have to be interested in girls at all. There’s nothing wrong with being interested in boys. I’m interested in both, honestly, but mostly men.”

“That’s so cool! I’m glad you’re able to admit that. I think I’m going to have trouble with it for a while.”

“That’s okay too,” I say as we make our way up my stairs.

Ren seems double excited to see Clear, and I feel a little betrayed. He doesn’t act that way when I walk in. Oftentimes, he’s even sleeping. 

“Ren!” Clear picks Ren up and holds him in his arms, and both of them seem perfectly content. After a good few moments, Clear seems distracted, and he looks at me then looks away. He sets Ren down on the sofa and walks toward me. 

“Um, Aoba-san. There’s a reason I wanted to ask you all those questions I did just now. Um…”

Oh boy. This was going to be interesting. 

“I… I really like you, Aoba-san, and I was wondering if… if…”

Spit it out. I’m dying here. Is he about to ask if I want to be his boyfriend or something?

“If you would… kiss me.” His eyes are closed tightly shut and he looks ashamed. Oh. He wants a kiss. I start to wonder if it would be a good idea when he speaks up again.

“If you don’t want to, that’s totally okay! I understand! I’ve just never been kissed before and I trust Aoba-san. I think it would b-“

I reach in and plant a kiss on his lips. His trembling voice is too cute to deny his request. I wonder what the hell I’m doing, but I go with it anyway. I move my lips against his, and I gently hold his arms. Clear is shocked, but he moves into the kiss. He offers a little moan that makes a weird feeling twist in my gut. No no no. Don’t do that, Clear.

He opens his mouth for air, and I take the opportunity to run my tongue against his lips. Bold of me. He opens, and I slide my tongue in. His tongue is soft, and I’m filled with heat over the noises he’s making. What does he think he’s doing? 

“Aoba-san…” he half moans. He’s definitely weird, but definitely a hottie. What do I do? Do I stop there? Yes. Stop there. 

I pull away, still holding one of his arms, and he looks dazed. Cute. 

“That was good…” he says, unsure of what else to do, I’m sure. 

“Good. I liked it too,” I say, sounding just as awkward as Clear. 

“We should kiss more often,” he says, which I find to be daring of him.

“M-maybe, or maybe we should leave it at this and think about how it makes us feel,” I say, bringing some logic into the conversation.

“Yeah,” he says, “You’re so smart, Aoba-san.” 

“Maybe we should call it a night.”

I shoo him toward the door before he can ask any other awkward questions. I watch him walk down the stairs and yell for him to text me when he gets back to his dorm safely. 

This was an interesting night, and I find myself feeling drained between work and class and everything that just happened. My headache pounds as I fall asleep, dreaming about the scary man with the cockatoo.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating a day early again because I have wifi. This chapter is a little shorter, but i hope you enjoy it anyway. Honestly, this story is powered by those little strawberry candies that grandmas always have in their purses. I am that grandma, and those candies keep me focused. So excuse any laziness in my writing, I apologize. Also, yes, i did make a reference to my Mejibray fic, which you should read if you haven't already ;)

About a month has passed since Noiz started working at Heibon. They were stressful. We bantered as usual, and by now Haga had caught on to our disagreeable relationship. Noiz makes more deliveries than anything, but it’s still annoying when he’s around.

It’s a slow day, no deliveries, and no customers. Only a few phone orders, which I leave to Noiz so he can practice. 

I start to think about Clear with a tinge of guilt, so I quickly scroll through Instagram, bored out of my mind. I almost swipe past a photo of Koujaku, but I catch it. Something about him seems so familiar. I study his face, when I feel someone leaning over my shoulder.

“Celebrity crush?” Noiz asks me.

“Geez it’s just a band I like. Will you lay off?” I mumble distractedly.

“I know they’re a band. I like them too, even though that vocalist seems like a douchebag. They’re gonna be in the city in like a week; opening for GOATBED.”

“GOATBED is gonna be here?!” 

“Yeah, what, do you live under a rock or something?” 

He’s one to talk. He’s the one with a social skill deficiency. 

“I just haven’t kept up with the music world lately; I’m not on twitter or anything.”

“Mm.” he says, looking distracted. “So are you going?”

“I would, but I don’t wanna go by myself,” I say, thinking about what happened last time I went out at night.

“Why not? I’m going by myself.” 

“Well you’re a social zombie. And trust me, you wouldn’t want to go anywhere alone if you went through what I did a couple weeks ago.”

“Oh yeah, your face is healed. Whatever happened with that?” I find it strange how talkative he’s become. He’s asking me more questions than usual whereas before, he just didn’t care. 

“I got mugged,” I lie.

“By who?” I could lie further, say ‘some man in a mask,’ but something pulls the truth out of me.

“Scratch,” I practically whisper. Noiz gives a low whistle.

“And you survived? What the hell were you doing in Scratch territory?”

“I was walking my dog.”

“Real cute. What were you thinking walking your dog in the slums? Don’t you live near a perfectly good, dog-friendly university campus?” We’d already established that we go to the same school, so that was often the topic of our conversation (when we weren’t getting under each other’s skin, that is). 

“Yeah, but I was at a low point,” I begin, not sure why I’m volunteering all this information to Noiz of all people, “and I wanted to wander somewhere different than usual.”

“And you wandered into the arms of the legendary Scratch. Brilliant story.”

“Oh, shut up.” 

“Well, if you insist, I’ll escort you,” he teases. Is that his way of saying he wants to go with me? 

“Sure we won’t get on each other’s nerves?” I tease back.

He clicks his tongue. “No. But at least there’ll be good music.”

 

After being busy for a week, the night of the concert arrives. I realize we’ve hardly talked about it over the last week. I’ve been so busy catching up with schoolwork in my free time that we’ve hardly talked at all. How are we getting there? Are we meeting up?   
What’s the deal? However, I find myself a little scared to ask. I want to play it cool and not worry about how things will go down. Here I am, wanting to act cool for a twerp freshman. Just as the thought arrives, Noiz speaks up.

“So, we can take the bus or we can take my car. Whichever you want,” he says with nonchalance.

“You have a car?” I ask in bewilderment. How could he afford a car at nineteen? Why did he even need a car in this area? 

“Yup.”

I stare, dumbfounded. I have a million questions, but I settle on an important one.

“And are you a good driver? I’m not ready to die at your hands.”

“Yup.”

Is he just saying ‘yup’ to shut me up?

“And would it be cheaper to take a bus or your car?”

“My car. It’s electric.”

What. The. Hell. What does he drive? A fucking Tesla or something? His family definitely has money. So why does he want to work here of all places? He’s undoubtedly a trust fund kid. 

“O-okay then. Fancy electric car it is.”

“It’s not really that fancy,” he states. “So I’ll pick you up around eight?”

“Now it sounds like you’re the one asking me on a date,” I banter. 

“You’d like that wouldn’t you, Aoba,” he asks in a sultry voice that is clearly feigned. It’s the first time he’s said my name, and I feel an uncontrollable chill run through me. Why? Why did I let this brat get to me? He said my name just to get to me.

“No, you get on my nerves,” I pout, trying to control a blush. 

“Too bad. Picking you up at eight.”

“You…” I don’t know what to say to this boy anymore. 

Eventually it’s time to close up shop, and the three of us part ways.

 

At home, I start to worry about what to wear. Why does it matter? I thought only girls fret over stuff like this, but here I am. I try on piece after piece of clothing and finally decide on some black baggy pants and a black long sleeved shirt. I normally wear blue,   
but something felt right about black for tonight. The shirt hugs my body just right and the pants make my legs look even longer. 

I hook a silver necklace with a brain-shaped pendant around my neck, and I’m ready. 

I soon get a text from Noiz that he’s here. I try to control my heart rate, feeling a little too much like this is a date. It reminds me of the concerts on campus I always went to with the girls I courted. Live music always seemed to lead to a heated night. 

I see Noiz’s face peeking out of the window of a shiny gray Mitsubishi. Not fancy my ass. It’s the flashiest thing I’ll ever have ridden in. 

“Yo,” he says over muffled metal music. He seems to be eyeing me.

“Yo,” I say back, opening the passenger door. It’s probably the friendliest interaction we’ve ever had, and it leaves me feeling uncomfortable. Normally we’re mean to each other. Normally he’d say something like ‘hey, loser.’ 

“Are you mocking me?” he says. There we go. Back to normal.

“No, I’m greeting you.”

I get in and recognize the band playing as MEJIBRAY. I recently heard the singer is in some scandal with a girl who was in his music video. Poor guy can’t get any without it being broadcasted. 

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Noiz asks me. Sounds like a question Granny would ask.

“Music,” I reply, complying. He laughs. I don’t get to hear him laugh very often.

“Thought your mopey ass would say something like ‘existence,’” he pokes, “But I guess music is something to think about when music is where you’re headed.”

His driving is smooth, probably thanks to his ride, which makes for a much more decent journey than the bus would have. I watch his bandaged hands as he drives, and I wonder again what those are about. Maybe I’ll ask him tonight. We remain silent for most   
of the way, but the music fills the space between us. He has good taste; I never would’ve imagined we’d have something like this in common. 

We eventually arrive to the concert stage, which is outdoors in the city’s park. The weather is luckily perfect – not too hot or cold, and dry. Noiz and I walk close together through all the crowds of people, and I feel like it’s a place where we can set aside our differences. Feeling him close to me isn’t so bad right now like it is at work. 

“Want drinks?” Noiz asks as we near the bar stand.

“Ah. No, I don’t drink in places like this. People slip stuff in them when you’re not looking,” I explain.

“Ahh. Guess that is something someone like you would have to worry about.”

“Someone like me?” I ask, genuinely confused.

“Pretty,” he says, looking off into the crowd. Something in his tone of voice feels different than normal, and I find myself not blushing like usual, but staring at him instead.

“You… you have to drive anyway. No drinks for you,” I say, pulling him away. His eyes widen the slightest bit at my touch, and I feel satisfied. Tonight should be interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's (a few days past) update time! I apologize for the late update, but i had no wifi connection. Please forgive. Anyway, I've got a few more chapters laid out, but I'm still writing like a beheaded hen trying to figure out where I'm going with this. So again, I apologize if my writing gets lazy in some places. Hope you enjoy!

The concert opens with BENISHIGURE, who are completely breathtaking live. They’ll be one of the top Visual Kei bands in no time. The vocalist. Koujaku. He’s captivating, even if Noiz doesn’t like him. And I still can’t shake the feeling that I know him from somewhere under all that makeup. Koujaku... Even the name is familiar. 

Noiz and I are awkward in the crowd, considering we’re the only ones not intoxicated or head banging. But we stand close together and enjoy it anyway.

At a break between songs when Koujaku is talking, a burly man walks up to me and Noiz. Everything was going well until this point. I get a bad feeling instantly.

“Hey sweet thing, wanna dance?” he asks me.

“N-no thank you,” I say, clearly startled and a little put off. He reeks of alcohol and body odor. This happens to me at every live event. I’ve come to expect it at this point.

“Come on, it’s fun,” he says, reaching for my hand.

Before anything can happen, Noiz pulls me close and glares at the man. His hand snakes around my waist, and he hooks his thumb through one of my belt loops. Despite the situation, I feel my temperature rise from Noiz’s actions.

“Eh whatever. My bad,” the man says, turning away to search for his next victim. I silently pray that no one else has to deal with him.

Noiz quickly lets me go, and the air becomes awkward.

“Sorry I had to sexually harass you to keep you from getting sexually harassed,” he half laughs.

“It’s okay. Thank you for that. This always happens to me,” I mope.

“It’s ‘cause you’re pretty, like I said.” He says it with a little more confidence this time, still in his humdrum voice. 

“Thanks… I guess,” I mumble, very nervous. 

“You’re welcome, I guess,” Noiz mocks me. I stick out my tongue and Noiz gives a little half-smirk. It feels devilish and mischievous, like he’s plotting something. 

“Seeing your tongue out doesn’t help. If that creep saw you like that, no telling what he would’ve done,” he warns.

“Only you would take something innocent and turn it into something so wrong,” I say, blushing. Luckily it’s dark with only the flashing lights of the stage to illuminate my cheeks. 

“Trust me, lots of people would turn it into something horrible. You’re kinda naïve, and that’s kinda hot. So that’s why these things happen to you. It’s not really your fault, but you should try being more careful.”

His speech leaves me with mixed feelings. I’m angry, grateful, flattered, and confused all at the same time.

“Y-yeah. I’ll try being more careful,” I say in a low voice.

“Good, ‘cause it’s starting to get to even me.”

I gulp. Could he mean… he really does find me attractive and not just ‘pretty?’ Something about that reality shakes me, and I’m left with a buttery feeling on my insides. 

“Okay,” I give a bashful response, as though guilty.

“There you go again, pouting. I guess you really can’t help it, can you?” he asks with a weird look in his eyes. They seem greener than usual right now, maybe because I’m actually maintaining eye contact with him this time. 

“I guess I can’t,” I murmur with annoyance, still maintaining eye contact. Slowly, he leans in toward me. Is he about to kiss me? Am I about to let him?

Just then, the stage lights go wild and GOATBED is announced. We quickly turn away from each other but still stand close, knowing. 

 

When the show is over, we make our way back to Noiz’s car, half deaf. We talk about how good the show was on the way back. It feels good, talking to Noiz without arguing. It’s unusual, but good.

We stop in front of the car and Noiz offers a strange request.

“Can we get in the back seat? I wanna talk to you about something,” he says. Strange. 

“Umm, okay, I guess.” I open the back door and sit down, wondering what he could want. He opens the door on the opposite side and climbs in.

“What could you possibly want to talk to me about that you couldn’t talk to me about up fro-“

Mid-sentence, Noiz pulls me forward and pulls my legs up on the seat, then pins my wrists above my head. He leans in close to my face and stares into my eyes.

“I wanted to talk about this,” he gestures with his head. “You’re too naïve. If a man asks you to do something weird like I just did, you say no, or you’ll end up like this.”

“Noiz…” I whisper. It’s all I can muster. I’m flustered, confused, and a little mad. 

“Don’t say my name like that,” he whispers back, lips dangerously close to my own.

“I only did what you asked because it’s you. I thought it was weird, but I trust you,” I say with honesty. It was the truth. Even through all of our arguments, something in my gut just trusts him.

“You shouldn’t. You shouldn’t trust people.” He stares into my face a few moments longer, then he speaks again. “Come on, I know where the bands hang out after their shows. There’s a bar a couple blocks down.”

“O-okay,” I agree, still a little shaken from my position. He’s still holding my wrists above my head and he’s still just a smidge from my face. “Can you… can you let me go now? I’m a little uncomfortable,” I sass. He complies, and he gets out and into the  
driver’s seat. I rub my wrists and follow. 

 

Noiz stops the car in a parking spot a good ways down from the bar. There aren’t many parking spots to choose from. We walk in silence, but still close. It’s become a habit at this point in the night.

The bar is called Black Needle and looks to be connected to a tattoo parlor. Strange. We walk in like we belong and find a seat at a booth. We see them. BENISHIGURE is in the bar. Namely Koujaku, surrounded by women. Noiz might be right; he does seem kind  
of douchey, but still familiar above all else. 

Noiz and I order some snacks, a little hungry from the long night, and wait for one of the members to walk by. We don’t know what to do now that we’re here except say ‘good show,’ but we’re here nonetheless. 

I look down at my phone to check for any missed calls, when I hear a voice.

“Aoba? Is that you?”

I slowly look up to see Koujaku himself, along with two women, and hearing his voice brings it all back. My childhood savior, Koujaku. 

“Koujaku!” I practically shout. 

“Wow! It’s been so long! You haven’t changed a bit. What brings you here?” he asks, all smiles. 

“We were actually just at your show. I’ll be honest, it didn’t click who you were until you said my name just now,” I admit, bashful. He gives a hearty laugh. “You’ve just changed so much, with your tattoos and makeup and whatnot, that I didn’t recognize you.”

Meanwhile, I hear his two women mumbling, and Noiz is silent sitting across from me. 

“So who’s this, your boyfriend?” Koujaku asks, referring to Noiz.

“Oh, he’s my coworker,” I say with a slight blush. “This is Noiz.”

“So just because we’re coworkers, it means I can be your boyfriend?” he plays, but there’s a hint of hostility in his voice. It’s almost as if he’s mad that Koujaku is near. 

“Are you going to introduce us to your friends, Koujakunnn?” one of the ladies asks.

“Of course, my flower. This is my childhood friend, Aoba, and his friend, Noiz. Aoba was a dear part of my childhood.”

“How sweet, I bet Koujakun was so good to little Aobaaa,” the other lady coos. These two hens are drunk off their asses. 

“Aoba, I’m a little busy right now, but you should give me your number. I want to catch up sometime!” Koujaku chimes. He’s so charming. No wonder he’s swarmed by the ladies. 

“Of course! I’d love to catch up too. Maybe we can meet at Granny’s over spring break,” I suggest, putting my information into his phone.

“That sounds wonderful. I’d love to catch up with the legendary Tae-san as well,” he laughs. “And her cooking! Well, it was great meeting up with you, Aoba. I’ll see you around!” He waves and walks back toward his booth.

“I wish Koujakun would ask for myyyy number,” one of the girls whines in the distance. 

“What the hell was that?” Noiz whispers, “You knew the singer all along?”

“I guess I did. I knew he looked familiar,” I muse. 

“Well, I don’t like him. Too much of a white knight for my tastes.”

“Nah, he’s actually really nice behind the lady-killer act. He’s always been that way.”

“Whatever you say. Well, now that we’re all smoochy with the band, why don’t we get out of here,” Noiz suggests. I don’t know where he’d possibly want to go after this, but I agree anyway.

“Wanna go back to my place and have a drink? I think I need one after that,” he inquires.

“Is this some kind of test? Am I supposed to say no, or I’ll end up pinned down again?”

He sighs. “No, as a *coworker,* I’m asking you in for a drink. How’s that?”

“That’s fine, I guess,” I shrug. 

We drive off toward Noiz’s place, and I wonder how much longer this night will last.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohohooo it's back to our regular update schedule which means y'all get a double dose. All I have to say is that I still really like those strawberry candies and they help me write, and enjoy this chapter! :))))

Noiz pulls into a gated apartment complex and punches in a code at the entrance. The apartments look extremely well-to-do, and I feel a little intimidated. Just how much money does Noiz have? He parks in front of one of the buildings, and I start to doubt many college students other than Noiz live here. 

I get out and follow him up a well-kempt stairwell, even though there’s an elevator. My complex doesn’t have an elevator. I’m a little jealous, thinking about all the times I’ve struggled up the stairs with groceries. 

The place is huge, compared to my little one-room apartment, anyway, and there appear to be multiple rooms. I follow Noiz to a little bar attached to the kitchen, and he starts to pour some drinks. I feel weird now, being alone with Noiz and not in a crowd or at work. It starts to feel like we’re actually friends, which is somehow uncomfortable. 

He appears to be making two White Russians, which I know will burn, but I welcome it anyway. I’m not usually big on alcohol, but what the hell. 

“Here you go,” he says as he hands it to me. The glass is cut beautifully, and I wonder if it’s real crystal. 

“Thanks.” I take a small sip and approve. He did a good job, but the alcohol burn still gets to me. “So do you drive to school or walk? We’re pretty close to campus aren’t we?” I ask, hoping to start a conversation.

“Yeah. I walk.” He seems short on words since we’ve been back, and I wonder if something is on his mind.

I remain silent and sip at my drink, not sure of what to say or what to do. Why did things suddenly become so awkward? I think about that almost-kiss at the concert and feel even more discomfort.

“So…” I begin, “I had fun tonight. Thanks for going with me.” I hope to get some sort of positive reaction out of him.

“Mm. Me too,” he says through his glass. How heartfelt. He downs the rest of his drink, probably a little too quickly, and leans his head back in the barstool. He sighs.

“There’s still one more thing I wanna do,” he says, a little breathless from leaning his head back so far.

“What’s that?” I ask lazily, looking down at my drink, wondering what other adventure he could possibly bring me on at this hour.

He pushes his glass forward, and before I know it, his face is close to mine. He presses his forehead to my own, and seconds later, I’m caught in a warm kiss. A shock runs through my body, but it’s a good one. The kiss lingers, and I look at him, bewildered.

“Good?” he asks. I know it’s a deeper question than on the surface. 

“Yeah,” I breathe, a little floored. This had been building up all night.

“Good. I really wanted to do that. For a while now. Sofa?” he asks, hinting at a little more.

“Yeah,” I say in the same manner as before.

He takes my hand and leads me to the couch, where he promptly pulls me down and starts to kiss me again. The kisses start out warm and chaste, but they soon get a bit heated. He slips his pierced tongue into my mouth, which chills me to my bones. I start   
to feel like this is what I wanted all along - some punk with piercings to get a little frisky with. 

“Mm…” I welcome his tongue and give a tiny but sensual moan against it. I can’t help it with the way the metal feels against my own tongue.

Noiz takes my shoulders and pushes me down from our upright position, looking into my eyes.

“Lewd,” he says, clearly referring to my moan. He hovers over me and looks into my eyes with something of a smile. He leans down and slowly licks my ear, soon whispering. “You better be careful with those noises.” 

I hum in response, a little dazed by pleasure. The way he whispers in my ear sends a small movement to my lower body, and I try my best to control it. It’s just been so long. It’s hard to believe this is Noiz on top of me, that the boy I bicker with on the daily is now tonguing me. Life is strange. Maybe he liked me all along, and that’s why he annoyed me – like a grade-schooler. 

“You’re so easy,” he says, “So submissive. You’re getting hard already.”

“Maybe I’m easy. Or maybe I just like you enough to let you do all these *lewd* things to me,” I retort. It was meant to be snarky, but it ended up just sounding more like a heartfelt compliment. Damnit, Aoba.

“Oh?” he gives a boyish smirk, and it makes my heart swell a little. “Then I guess I’ll figure out just how much you like me by how far you let me go.”

I’m willing to let him do whatever he wants to me at this point, but part of me wants to play coy and stop him. 

“I like these clothes on you, by the way,” he says through a kiss. “Black is sexy.” I blush a little, despite being trapped in kiss after kiss. You’d think I’d be used to the embarrassing things he says by now. 

Noiz pulls my legs up and positions himself between them, leaning over me. He looks at me like he wants to say something, but he doesn’t. Even though he’s opened up a lot since I met him, I still don’t know anything about him. It makes me wonder why I trust him.

He slowly pushes my shirt up, following my exposed skin with his eyes; his breathing is heavier than before. He brings his head down to the waistline of my pants and licks upward, all the way up my torso. My back arches in response, and I involuntarily run my hands through his hair. He stops at a nipple and licks, then sucks, then bites at it, and I can’t help but let out another moan. 

At the sound, he slips his hand under my back and pulls me closer to him, to the point where our lower bodies are touching. I find myself craving friction, craving Noiz. He switches to my other nipple, and I let out a similar sound, lost in pleasure. 

“You’d be cute with pierced nipples,” he says, “And a pierced navel.” He traces my belly button and it gives me goosebumps. 

“N-no way. Seems like it hurts.”

“Not really,” he says, urging my shirt off. I pull it over my head and watch as Noiz removes his own shirt. Taut abs, but not super buff. Sexy and toned. Pierced navel leading to a low v. Hot. 

“You’re staring at me like you want something,” he says with a devilish smile, “What do you want from me?”

I want your cock, dumbass. Don’t make me say it. 

“I want… to feel you.”

“Then feel me,” he says. “Are you nervous?” Noiz grabs my hands and brings them to his chest, which is warm to the touch. His skin is smooth. I slowly trace downward, savoring the warmth of his flesh. The feeling makes me think about how strange this whole   
situation is. It’s what I had in mind from the beginning, but it still feels unreal.

“Ahh!” Just then, Noiz rolls his hips against mine, and I let out a flustered sound. I haven’t felt a shock through my body like that in… never. 

“What do you really want from me?” he asks, his eyes dark.

“I… I want you,” I offer, embarrassed out of my mind. Is he gonna make me say it?

He leans down. “Aoba…” he whispers in my ear with a kiss. “I asked what you want from me, not if you want me. I can see in your eyes that you want me. Have since that first day I saw you. Now tell me, what is it that you want from me?” 

I practically melt against his words, lost in just how real this is. Noiz and I are about to fuck. I just have to say that’s what I want. 

“I want… I want to feel you… inside of me,” I breathe, face hotter than it’s ever been.

“Oh? Is that all? I can finger you all night if that’s all you want from me.” 

He’s the devil.

“Damn it, Noiz! I want to feel your cock inside of me. I can’t take it anymore.” 

“That’s what I wanted to hear.” He rolls his hips against me again, and I hum. “I’ve wanted you like this for so long, looking like this,” he says, unbuttoning my pants. “Sexy.” 

His words make me think about how long I’ve wanted him too, and it feels so freeing to finally be entwined in each other, like a spring releasing. 

He pulls my pants down, and my hard dick becomes obvious. I’m so ready for him. Noiz toys with the tip through my underwear.

“Ha… Ahh…”

“Aoba…” he whispers. He rips my pants all the way off and pulls me up to drag me to his bedroom. Shit’s getting real now. 

It’s darker in his room, save for the lights from a dual screen setup on his desk in the corner. 

He tosses me on the bed and removes my underwear, leaving me totally exposed. Noiz removes his own pants but leaves his underwear on, much to my dismay. 

I feel hot, wet heat surrounding my exposed cock, and my eyes widen. 

“W-what are you doing?”

He comes off me with a pop and looks at me, lips a little wet.

“I’m about to pound you so hard that you deserve a little pleasure first,” he says, blunt. What he doesn’t know is that getting pounded hard is pleasure as far as I’m concerned. 

He goes back to work and I let out luscious moans, lost in the wetness of his mouth. I’m suddenly thankful for the dark, because my face is hot and twisting into looks of sheer pleasure. I grip the sheets with one hand and cover my face with the other, feeling   
his mouth push down on me without control. The wet noises are so lewd, and it makes me even harder still. I think about what kind of sounds Noiz would make with him in my mouth. I want him filling my mouth, choking me. 

Damn, Aoba. Chill. 

He lets go, and I find myself gasping for air. I catch sight of a tent growing in Noiz’s underwear, and I feel satisfied. He goes to his bedside table, opens a drawer, and comes back. 

“You sure you’re okay with this?” he asks, popping open a bottle of lube. 

“Yes… I’m ready.”

He slides a lubed finger inside of me, then two, and I wince. It’s been a while since I’ve had any action, so it takes a bit of getting used to the feeling again. He wiggles his fingers around until I start making sounds of pleasure instead of discomfort. I’m unsure if   
it will be enough prep, but he pulls his fingers out. I like a little bit of pain anyway. 

Noiz removes his underwear and a large cock pops out. I shiver with excitement. Something shiny catches my eye and- no, it couldn’t be. Is he really pierced there too? Something about it freaks me out but gets me a little hot too. 

Noiz walks up and brings his cock to my hand. I take the hint and begin to stroke, and I find he’s not only pierced on the tip, but two on the underside and the base as well. Holy shit.

“What do you feel?” he asks.

“Metal,” I say, a little mesmerized. 

“Still interested?”

“Yes. Of course,” I breathe. It’d take a lot more than some piercings to keep me away from Noiz. 

“Good. Think I like you,” he says, kissing my abdomen. I twitch under his touch and wait for something to happen. He lubes himself up, and I imagine his silver piercings shining after being coated in the liquid. I shiver again. 

“Ready?”

“Mhmm,” I half purr. I’ve been ready. 

He crawls onto the bed and hovers over me, and I lift my legs up to rest at his shoulders. He pushes himself against me, and my breathing hitches with excitement. 

I whine as he pushes himself in farther, feeling each piercing as it slides past my ring of muscle. The feeling is unreal. It’s like having a real man and a sex toy inside of me at the same time. 

He grunts as he starts to move, and the sounds he makes causes my nipples to harden. He catches wind of this, and goes to pinch at my chest. 

“Nipple piercings really would be hot on you,” he says breathily as he pounds into me even harder. All I can do is moan.

“M-maybe,” I pant as he slows his pace a little, most likely to tease me with his piercings.

“We should get that done some time,” he pants back, picking up his pace. Hearing that makes me think there’ll be a next time between us, which fills me with what could only be joy. I feel a little silly, but I’m enjoying myself so much I couldn’t bear a future without a next time. This feels right. This feels like what I wanted all along.

I feel the piercings slide in and out, and Noiz leans down to bite at my neck. I let out a strangled moan, overwhelmed by all the sensations. He puts his hands around my neck and squeezes lightly, enough to really feel it but not so much that it hurts. He seems experienced. 

He pounds into me strong for a good while, turning me into a hot moaning mess. Then he pulls out without warning. What the hell?

“Get on your hands and knees,” he commands. Something in his voice makes me obey immediately. I feel his hands on my hips, and then he pushes in. 

I cry out, reveling in pleasure as I feel his piercings from a different angle. Shit. Shit. This is so good. 

I hear Noiz groan behind me, and I feel my own cock harden even more. I reach underneath my body and start to stroke it.

Just then, Noiz grabs my arm and pins it next to my face

“Not yet,” he says. His angle shifts ever so slightly, and I feel something in me snap. He’s hitting me just right with that tip piercing, to where I could go off without even touching myself. My vision goes blurry, I’m sweating, and I’m calling out shamelessly. My   
voice has taken on a higher pitch and it cracks. This only spurs him on, and he thrusts into me until I’m numb. 

He eventually finds that spot again, and I slowly lose it. His pace becomes erratic, and he hisses out his breaths. This might be it. He pumps some more, and I feel my muscles start to go weak. I’m a sweaty pile of blue on the bed at this point, and I buck my hips against his with what little energy I have left. 

“Mm… Noiz… Fuck me, yes!” 

He’s turned me into a defenseless slut, and the scary part is I’m okay with it. 

“Ah! Noiz!”

One more scrape against my prostate sends me shivering, and I feel something wet between my legs as I cry out. Did I just come hands free? Wow. 

I’m so distracted by what just happened that I almost don’t feel Noiz’s breaths becoming hastier. A few more thrusts, and I feel a deep heat pooling inside of me. He shakes, soon pulling out and leaving me empty, save for the cum dripping out of my hole.

He plops down next to me after grabbing a box of tissues. I’m so tired that I can’t even clean myself up, but to my surprise, Noiz does it for me as I lie there panting. I can tell I’ll be sore in the morning after how hard he went, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

“That was really hot,” he says, laying back down next to me.

“Yeah it was,” I agree, still unable to move properly. 

“You know we have work in the morning, right?”

“What?!” I sit up and look at the digital clock on his night stand. It’s 4 am. 

“Just kidding,” he snickers, wrapping an arm around me to pull me back down on the bed. “Wanna stay here tonight?”

I bop him on the head after his cruel joke, and he smiles with his eyes closed. 

“Fine. But only because I can’t move after that.”

“Tch. Tsundere,” he mumbles. 

He’s cute when he’s tired; he seems so vulnerable right now. I’ve seen a side of Noiz tonight that I never imagined I’d see. He looks less like a brooding mystery man and more like a nineteen year old. I smile, content to fall asleep in his arms.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Sorry for the skipped update. I've been really busy the last week. I'm stuck in chapter 12 so hopefully my writer's block will subside before I catch up. I also hope this fic isn't too slow for everyone. Everything and everyone will fall into place, I promise!

In the morning, I wake up to Noiz lying next to me, freshly showered, playing on a Nintendo Switch. I knew his pizza-loving, mountain-dew-guzzling ass had to like video games, but the topic never came up in conversation. It makes him seem more like a kid and less like a hardcore punk. I kinda like it. 

“Morning,” he says with disinterest. Back to usual after a heated night, I see. 

“Morning,” I say back with a half-smile. 

“Are you hungry?”

“Yeah kinda,” I say, grabbing my stomach. We hadn’t eaten much last night.

“Then get showered and dressed, ‘cause I don’t cook,” he says, powering down his video game. 

 

We end up at a café close to his apartment, and it’s fairly well-to-do. Expensive coffee that I can’t pronounce, pastries whose names leave me tongue-tied, the works. 

“Don’t worry, I’m paying,” Noiz says after seeing the look on my face. 

“Thanks…” I say, feeling kind of bashful. “So… I hope you don’t mind me asking, but… where does all your money come from?”

“Ah. I was waiting for you to ask,” he says, looking kind of dark.

Just then, a server in a butler-type uniform comes to take our order. Noiz orders for both of us, and I wait ‘til he’s gone to speak up.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” I say quickly, hoping I didn’t upset him.

“Nah, it’s okay. My family comes from money; they run a real estate empire in Germany. People who know that tend to chase me for it, so I don’t talk about it. I was starting to wonder if you knew, but your reaction to my car was too cute for you to be a gold digger.” 

“Whoa… I had no idea. Sorry that happens to you,” I say with sincerity. He waits a while before speaking.

“It’s alright. I just have trouble trusting people in general. Everyone wants something out of you. Be it money, reputation, sex…” he looks up to gauge my reaction, but I don’t have much of one.

“I know you’ll believe what you want to believe, but I want you to know I’m not using you. I genuinely enjoy spending time with you. And I want to learn more about you, Noiz. People might not always be as bad as they seem.”

“Whatever you say,” he says as coffee and fancy stuffed croissants are placed in front of us. 

I figure the conversation is futile, so I turn my attention elsewhere. I watch his bandaged hands pick up his croissant, but I reason that now would be a really bad time to ask about that too. 

We eat in silence, and he pays up at the front desk while I finish my coffee. Noiz is just a kid with too much money. He sits back down and talks again. 

“Wanna do something else, or do we wanna be good boys and catch up on schoolwork?”

“Either way. I could stand to be out a little longer, though. I… don’t get out very often. I’m having fun,” I say with honesty. 

“Sounds good,” he says, standing up.

I follow.

We step outside the café and bump into a good-looking auburn-haired man.

“Mizuki!” I shout.

“Aoba!”

“Mizuki?” Noiz asks.

“Noiz!” Mizuki shouts. 

Wait, what? These two know each other?

“You and Aoba know each other?” Noiz asks Mizuki.

“Yeah, we have a few classes together,” he explains. “How do you and Aoba know each other?”

“We work together,” Noiz says.

“And dine together, too, apparently,” Mizuki smiles. I blush. 

“What brings you out here?” I ask Mizuki. 

“I was just grabbing some breakfast on the way to the shop,” he says, holding up a brown paper bag in his left hand and coffee in the right. 

“And wait, how do you and Noiz know each other?” I ask.

“I did a lot of Noiz’s piercings,” Mizuki says proudly.

I blush, wondering which piercings he did, exactly.

“Why don’t the two of you come hang out at the shop for a while? Maybe I’ll finally convince Aoba to get a tattoo!”

“That’s not happening, but hanging out for a while doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” I say, looking at Noiz. He nods his head in approval, and we follow Mizuki to his shop. 

My jaw drops when I find out where exactly Mizuki works. The reputable Black Needle. 

“We were just here,” I tell Mizuki. “I didn’t know you worked here or I would’ve looked for you.”

“You and Noiz were just here? Together? When?”

“Last night,” Noiz says.

“Ahh, the infamous Koujaku was here last night too. Did you get a chance to see him?”

“Yeah we saw him, alright,” Noiz says with a sour look.

“Koujaku is my childhood friend,” I explain to Mizuki, “And it was our first time seeing each other for years. I can’t believe he’s doing the whole music thing.”

“Well he’s damn good at it,” Mizuki says. “He’s a good friend of mine too; I helped him out with promotion before the band took off. It’s a small world, isn’t it? Come to think of it, Koujaku has mentioned finding a childhood friend a few times. Maybe you?”

He takes a bite of his bagel before he starts to set up shop, and Noiz and I help in any way we can. 

“So I was thinking,” Noiz begins to Mizuki. His tone sounds mischievous and it fills me with fear for some reason. “Wouldn’t nipple piercings suit Aoba well?”

Mizuki chokes on his coffee.

“I mean, you’re not wrong, but what brought this on?”

“Noiz! I’m not getting nipple piercings!”

“You said ‘maybe’”

“That was when-“ I catch myself before I say something embarrassing in front of Mizuki. “No.”

Mizuki laughs and raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure you two aren’t a couple?” 

“We’re coworkers,” I say, turning a little red.

“I think it’s safe to say we’re friends with benefits,” Noiz blurts out shamelessly. 

“Noiz!” 

“Gotcha,” Mizuki says with a smirk. “So, Aoba, how do you like those installations I did on Noiz? You know the ones,” he teases.

“Oh. My god. Stoppp,” I beg. Mizuki and Noiz both laugh. I’m being bullied.

“Hey, Aoba, I won’t tease you anymore if you get your nipples pierced,” Mizuki suggests.

“I’ll even pay for it,” Noiz says.

“Of course you will. No way in hell would I *pay* to get holes in my skin.”

“So that’s a yes?”

“No!”

“That sounded like a yes to me,” Mizuki says. 

I sigh and run up to the mirror and lift up my shirt. I hear Noiz snort from across the room as he watches me. 

“Are you two just bullshitting me, or do you think it’d actually be cool?” I ask. After all their persuasion, the idea actually creeps into my head. What I don’t know, however, is that just then, Koujaku walks in.

“Mizuki! That childhood friend I told you abou-“ Koujaku walks in to see me in front of the mirror, shirt up, looking peculiar as hell. 

I slowly lower my shirt in shame.

“H-hey, Koujaku. Long time no see.”

“Whaaat’s going on?” he asks slowly, looking around at everyone making strange faces. Mizuki and Noiz are covering their mouths, trying very hard not to laugh, and my face is red as Koujaku’s kimono. 

“Aoba’s getting his nipples pierced,” Mizuki says without laughing, but the laughter can still be heard in his voice. 

“I’m sorry, Aoba’s *what*?” Koujaku asks.

“I never said I was! I only said I considered it!”

“And I assume the three of you know each other?” Koujaku asks, still slowly and with caution.

“Yup,” Noiz answers. He’s still in a good mood, but I sense a bit of hostility toward Koujaku. 

“I didn’t know you and Aoba were childhood friends,” Mizuki says as he continues to set up shop. “I was telling Aoba what a small world it is, considering the three of us didn’t know we knew each other either.” 

“I see you two are still together after last night,” Koujaku hints, matching Noiz’s hostility. 

“Yeah, that’s what friends do. They stay in contact with each other,” Noiz spits.

Ouch. Low blow.

“So, are you the one convincing Aoba to put holes in his chest? I can only assume based on how your face looks.”

“Koujaku…” I warn, “Don’t pay him any mind. And if I put holes in my body, it’s of my own volition. I promise.” Koujaku must still be defensive of me like when we were kids. I was always getting bullied, and he was always there to defend me. 

“Aoba, if this kid is bothering you,” he says.

“He’s not. He’s my friend. He just messes around is all. Trust me, thanks to you, I can tell a friend from a bad person. And Noiz isn’t a bad person at all. You two just might be a little different.” 

“Yeah, Noiz is a good kid,” Mizuki adds, and I find myself silently thanking him. 

“If you insist. So what, are you two an item or something?” His mistrust is still strong after my speech.

“We’re friends and coworkers,” I say.

“So what if we are an item? What’s it to you?” Noiz asks, equally mistrustful. 

“Maybe I just don’t think a punk like you is good for Aoba,” he says, crossing the line.

“What are you, his mom?”

“Guys, please. You’re both my friends and I don’t want you to fight. It’s making me really uncomfortable, and probably Mizuki too.”

“Yeah, take it outside, kids,” Mizuki adds with a dark face. 

“Fine, if you want us to take it out, we will,” Koujaku says, fired up.

“Koujaku, I think it might be better if you come back to talk a little later, ‘kay?” Mizuki says, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking into his eyes. “Go cool off,” he orders. 

“I’ll see you around, Aoba,” Koujaku says, still seething. “Stay out of trouble, okay?” He walks out, but the air is still tense. 

Phew. That was close. Why don’t they like each other? They’re really different, yeah, but geez. 

“Noiz,” I begin, but I’m cut off.

“Everything I said was the truth.” He leaves it at that, and I really can’t argue. 

“I think… I think I’m gonna do something brash.”

 

The air is cold against my bare chest. Mizuki digs around in some drawers while I sit here bouncing my leg up and down. He comes up with a marker and starts to put little dots on my nipples.

Mizuki pushes my knee down. “You’re gonna have to stop your fidgeting when I get ready to do this, Aoba.”

“Says you,” I pout.

“You really don’t have to do this. We were just messing around. We didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

“Too late now! I made my decision. I think piercings are hot, so why wouldn’t they look hot on me?” 

“Aoba, you sound a little… not like yourself. I don’t wanna be the one to do this if you’re gonna regret it.”

“He won’t regret it. I’ll make sure of that,” Noiz says, suggestive. 

“Ohoho,” Mizuki raises an eyebrow as he continues my markings. 

“Noiz, shut up,” I hiss, blushing again. It doesn’t help that the handsome Mizuki is inches from me, and touching my nipples at that. I feel exposed. 

Mizuki takes a little swab drenched in betadine and dabs it around the projected site of piercing. I start to sweat as he pulls out what looks like long forceps. Oh yikes. Do I really want to do this? I close my eyes and wait for it to be over. I feel the forceps clamp my nipple tight, then – 

“Ow, shit!” I yell, feeling a pinch like no other. I keep my eyes closed as Mizuki inserts the jewelry, and I wince as he tightens the barbell closed. 

“Good job! Ready for the next one?” 

I close my eyes tight and nod my head, preparing myself for the pain. My right nipple is continuously throbbing, and it feels like the jewelry is going to swell out of place. 

“Fuck!” This one almost hurt worse. It pinches as Mizuki tightens the jewelry. I feel hypersensitive, like anything that touches me will sting. I slowly open my eyes to see Mizuki and Noiz standing over me.

“Took it like a champ,” Mizuki smiles.

“Not really,” Noiz says, “But at least he didn’t cry.”

“Shut up,” I mumble, a little out of breath from holding it for so long. 

“Sexy,” Noiz says, leaning over me to inspect Mizuki’s work. He looks into my eyes and then kisses me. Right in front of Mizuki. 

“N-Noiz! We’re in public!” 

“So? If I feel like kissing you, I should be able to.”

“He has a point,” Mizuki says, totally unfazed. “Say, I thought you and Clear were becoming an item. He talks about you incessantly.”

“Ah… about that…” I say bashfully. I’ve been wondering what to do about Clear. He seems really attached to me, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings. After that kiss, nothing much else happened. But he’s been really touchy feely. I start to wonder if Clear even likes or wants sex, considering he’d never been kissed. 

“Who’s Clear?” Noiz asks. “Are you cheating on me already?” he asks playfully. 

“Shush. He’s a classmate. And I think he may have a little crush on me.”

“Correction: a serious crush on him,” Mizuki says, retrieving my shirt.

“I don’t think it’s that bad.”

“Have you two fucked?” Noiz asks, seemingly disinterested.

“Eh?! No, it’s really not like that. He’s really innocent-like,” I say, defending myself. 

“Maybe you should, it’ll get you out of his system,” Noiz suggests without shame.

“I don’t think it works that way with Clear. He’s really attached.”

“Hm.”

“I think you should talk to him, Aoba. I don’t wanna see any broken hearts,” Mizuki proposes. 

“You’re right. I should talk to him soon.” 

I put my shirt back on and decide it’s time to head home. Today has been eventful to say the least, and I’m interested to see where everything goes from here.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Update Day! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, even though it goes quickly. I've recently found that lychee gummies help me write as much as the strawberry candies do, so hopefully I'll get past Chapter 12 soon with the power of lychee. Love y'all!

I sit in bed, finger hovering over Clear’s contact. It’s Sunday, and I have nothing to do, but talking to Clear seems like a really big something to do. 

I rinse my nipple piercings in saline and stare in the mirror. After everything, I quite like the way it looks. Especially with the way Noiz reacted to them. I wonder about Noiz. He seems to have no intentions of being exclusive, but he seems to really put his  
feelings forth in certain ways. He opens up to me more and more, but he’s probably unsure of what to do with his emotions. Oh well. Time will tell.

I brush my teeth and make the decision to call Clear after all. 

“Aoba-san!” Clear answers the phone almost immediately.

“Hey, Clear,” I pause, “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today.” I cringe, knowing what conversation has to take place. 

“Of course! What do you want to do?” he asks. I can practically see him beaming through the phone. Hmm, I hadn’t gotten that far.

“Um, I don’t know. Any suggestions?”

“I know! Let’s go to the aquarium! I love seeing the jellyfish,” he suggests with excitement. That actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

“Okay, I’ll be ready soon. We’ll meet at the fountain?”

“Sure. See you soon!”

I start to fret, wondering how the day will go. I have to ask him how he feels about me. I start to wonder if that kiss was a mistake, no, it was definitely a mistake. I don’t know if I can reciprocate any feelings for Clear. I like the guy, but he’s just so innocent. If Noiz thinks *I’m* naïve, he should meet Clear. 

I get ready both physically and mentally, pat Ren goodbye, and head out the door. 

 

Once at the aquarium, Clear takes my hand and leads me around with excitement before we eventually take a break from walking. 

“I want to be a veterinarian, but I also think a lot about going back to school later to be a marine biologist. I love sea life, especially jellyfish, and I want to study them more,” he tells me as we sit in front of an enormous tank filled with sharks and large fish.

“That’d be nice. There’s nothing stopping you. I think you should always follow your heart, and do what you want. That’s what my Granny always tells me.”

“Wow, Aoba-san, it sounds like you have an amazing Granny.”

“I do, I do. She’s an amazing cook too. Maybe you can come by sometime.”

“I’d love that!” Clear kicks his feet contentedly. He seems so genuinely happy that I wonder if he’s ever really sad. 

“Grandparents are so precious,” he says. His feet stop kicking. Well, speaking of sadness. “My grandpa passed away, leaving me with my brothers.”

“I’m sorry, Clear. That’s horrible,” I try to comfort him. 

“It’s okay, I know Grandpa is watching over me.” His voice is dreamy as he thinks out loud. “He knew I was different, and he always wanted me to stay that way, no matter what my brothers said.”

“That’s good. Different is good,” I muse. I think about all the people wandering into my life as of late. Different really is a good thing. 

“Thanks, Aoba-san.”

“Hey, you know you can just call me Aoba, right?”

“Aoba…..san,” he cringes out in a shaky voice. Cute.

“Well at least you held it for a second,” I laugh. “How about we find those jellyfish?”

Clear perks up. “Yeah!”

We end up in a dark room filled with columns of tanks – all illuminated by soft colored lights. Jellyfish dance around us, and it really is beautiful to take in. 

“This is my favorite part,” Clear whispers as though he’ll wake the jellyfish.

“I can see why,” I whisper back out of respect for the jellies. 

Clear takes my hand and leads me around to each species of jellyfish, telling me briefly about each one. I find myself actually interested in what he has to say. He’s really smart underneath his clowny exoskeleton. 

However, I’m made uncomfortable by how cozy he’s gotten with holding my hand. We undoubtedly look like some oddball couple, and I wonder what people think. 

I also think about the talk I have to have with him. Not here though. Not with the jellyfish. 

We get lunch in the aquarium’s food court and finish the rest of our tour. It was a successful day that I found myself actually enjoying. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good, pure outing. 

We walk out into the bright sun and wince after being in the dark for so long. 

“Oh! That’s right! I left my class bag at work yesterday. I was doing homework on my break and completely forgot to bring it home! Mind if we stop by? You can meet Kenny!”

“Sure thing,” I say, a little nervous. But I follow him anyway.

 

The shelter is indeed a small one, and it smells like, well, an animal shelter. The secretary looks flabbergasted to see Clear on his day off, and she sighs.

“Yuki! This is my friend, Aoba-san!” How come he can call her Yuki but can’t call me Aoba?!

“Oh, so you’re the infamous Aoba-san, hm? Nice to meet you,” she says, offering an exhausted smile. 

“Nice to meet you too,” I say, smiling apologetically. She nods in understanding. 

Clear drags me to the back where I lay eyes on the last possible thing I ever expect to see. I mean the absolute last. A ten foot tall mouse would’ve been less shocking. All the blood drains from my face, and I’m left completely speechless. Flashbacks flood my  
conscious like a beach house in a typhoon. No. no. no. 

“…remember where I left my bag. And this is Mink-san, he doesn’t talk much, but he’s really good with animals…” 

Clear’s voice swirls out of my head like water in a tub drain. 

Mink, huh?

“Hey, Clear, why don’t you go look for your bag. I’ll just stay right here. I have a question about Ren.”

“Oh, okay! Mink-san is really knowledgeable, so I’m sure he can answer you,” Clear says as he walks out the door. 

I’m pinned to the wall in seconds flat. 

“Looking for trouble?” he spits. His face is inches from mine.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“If you tell that boy anything about me, your ass becomes Scratch’s new toy, understand?”

I swallow hard, or try to, anyway. My throat feels like tree bark. 

“Y-yes.”

“I will find out. And if you’re the Aoba that boy never shuts up about, I know exactly where to find you. I’ll ruin everything you love, including the boy.” 

“You’re a sick bastard,” I say, finding my voice. It comes out as almost a croak, but I say it nonetheless. 

“You have no idea,” he growls, pressing his body up against mine. The scent of cinnamon brings back dark memories. This is the next time. My ass belongs to Scratch. I’m done for. Even if I don’t make a peep, he’ll still be hovering over me. Forever. He rolls his  
hips against me, and he covers my mouth with his giant hand. Fear and unwilling lust stir in my stomach. I try to cry out, but his thick skin muffles any sound I make. 

“…found my bag in the…”

Shit. Will he walk in on this fucked up little scenario? Just as quickly as he pounced on me, he lets go and moves across the room. The door opens.

“Aoba-san, your face is red. You look a little sick. Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah. Just found out Ren might have a worm. Kind of got me worried.”

“Oh no, we better go check on him and see if he needs any deworming medicine,” Clear innocently suggests.

“Yeah. Let’s do that,” I say, glancing at Mink. He stands stone cold with his arms crossed, and his cockatoo flies from the top of its cage to his shoulder. 

I follow Clear out the door and give one last concerning glance back at Mink. He slowly shakes his head in warning as I walk out.

 

Back at my apartment, I take a deep breath. I’m back in my familiar place, and it’s relieving even though Clear is with me. I decide to focus on him rather than what just happened. There’s nothing I can do now anyway. He inspects Ren as though he’s already a vet, and as though he’d be able to see a worm through his belly. 

“I wish Ren could talk. That would make things a lot easier.”

“I don’t” I say under my breath. I don’t want to know what Ren thinks about me. “I think I’ll just take him to my regular vet tomorrow and see what’s up. We don’t have to worry about it today,” I assure him. 

“Okay, that sounds like a good idea.”

Clear and I sit on the sofa in silence after that. It’s not usually quiet with Clear around, so it’s extra awkward for the few minutes we sit there. 

“Hey, Cle-“

“Aoba-sa”

We speak at the same time. Way to slather on a little extra awkwardness. 

“You first, Aoba-san,” Clear looks serious. Not good.

“Um… Well… I was wondering… how exactly you feel about me.” I mumble the rest out. He pauses and thinks.

“I feel happy when I’m with Aoba-san. I feel like I’m at home.”

“So… you feel like I’m family?”

“Not really… I feel like more than that. I feel like… I want to touch you, Aoba-san. I’m happy when we’re touching.”

Great. So he does have a crush on me. How do I take care of this? I enjoy spending time with him, and I care deeply about him, but I don’t feel the same. I couldn’t be in a lasting relationship with Clear. 

“I’m happy when I’m with you too, Clear. But I don’t know if I feel exactly the same as you do.”

Clear looks confused.

“But you were willing to kiss me, usually people only kiss when they find the other attractive,” he deduces.

“I do find you attractive. I just don’t know if a relationship would work out between us.”

“Oh! That’s okay. I promised myself I wouldn’t have a relationship while I’m in school. I need to stay focused!” Clear says with determination. Well that was easy. Then what’s he on about touching?

“Then… what exactly is it that you want from me?” I ask cautiously.

“I…” Clear blushes and looks down at his folded hands. “I want to touch you, Aoba-san.”

“Like… hold hands?” My heart starts pounding at the shakiness in his voice.

“No… I get weird feelings when I’m around you. And I have weird dreams too. And… I don’t know how to say it. I can’t say it,” he scrambles, hiding his face with his hands. Now I understand.

“Oh. So you want to be friends with benefits, is what you’re saying? You don’t want a romantic relationship, but you still want to touch. I see,” I say calmly, so as not to startle him.

“T-that… Would something like that be okay? Is that a bad thing to want?” he asks, his voice nervous.

“No, that’s not a bad thing to want. I’ve had that sort of thing plenty of times. I’m just worried you’ll get your feelings hurt, Clear.”

“I don’t care if I only get to touch you once, Aoba-san, I’ll be happy,” he says with a strained smile. I wonder if this is a healthy way for him to deal with his feelings, but he has a point. He did say he didn’t want a relationship while in school, which is smart. But  
is it really sex he’s wanting? He’s so quirky it’s hard to imagine. But maybe Noiz is right – maybe he just needs to get me out of his system.

“Can I kiss you, Aoba-san?”

“I don’t know if this is a good ide-“

I’m cut off by a soft pair of lips moving against mine. It’s a good kiss; his lips feel charged with longing. I give in, and wait to see where the evening goes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! It's update time again! I might give y'all a little gift next week: two chapters in one week because I split them up. It was just too long. So that might be happening! I hope you enjoy this week's chapter as well! Also, before I get any comments, I knowww it's almost just like Reconnect, but I can't get over Clear's... katoptronophilia so to speak. I think this is how it would go down in this universe too ;)

Clear licks at my lips after several soft pecks, and I let him in. This could get dangerous. There’s something more demanding in his eyes, and I’ve never seen anything like it. Could Clear actually have a high drive? 

Our tongues slide together with care, slowly and gently, as though really taking the time to taste each other. Clear makes soft sounds of pleasure, and like before, it gets to me. His voice is so attractive; he’d be hot even if he were masked. “Aoba-san…” he breathes, full of what appears to be lust, “Let me touch you.”

“C-Clear… I don’t know…”

“Aoba-san… just this once. I promise I won’t let my feelings get in the way. Thank you for worrying about me,” he says, pulling my hand to his cheek. His skin is so soft. I think about what Noiz said; maybe his nineteen years are wiser than I thought. Maybe he’s right. 

“O-okay… But don’t come crying later. I’m sorry, but this is all I can give you. I think… I think I’m in love with someone else.”

“That’s okay, Aoba-san. I’m glad you feel that way about someone,” he purrs, lifting my shirt off of my body. I shiver. Is he really okay with this? He pulls my shirt all the way off and looks surprised for some reason.

“Aoba-san… that’s kind of sexy.” I almost forgot. I slap my hand to my face in embarrassment.

“You can’t touch them though, I just got them done yesterday.”

“Okay, I’ll be careful not to,” he says determinedly. “Why did you do it?”

“I had some people convince me it would look good, and I went with it.”

“Well it does look good,” Clear admits. I find it strange that he’d find something like that attractive. Maybe he’s less innocent than I thought. “I wanted to taste your whole body though, I’m a little disappointed,” he hums. 

“You can’t just say things like that!” I seethe, bright red. 

“Why not? I’m just being honest,” he smiles, almost apologetically. He then pushes me down and reaches his head down to place soft kisses on my abdomen, and I twitch under the soft feeling. It feels good, being treated so gently. 

He licks up my abdomen and up my chest, and I shiver. He finally comes up to my neck and starts to kiss. Something about his lips is magical – he’s being so gentle, but I can feel every movement intensely. 

“Can I touch you here,” Clear whispers, running two fingers over the slightly growing bulge in my pants. I jump a little.

“You don’t have to ask. It’s embarrassing,” I say, red faced yet again.

“I was told that consent is very important,” Clear says seriously. He’s right. I start to feel a little shitty for saying what I did. He just has my best interest in mind.

“Y-you’re right. Sorry. Yes, you can touch me anywhere,” I reassure him. At this point, we’re going to have sex. It’s inevitable. 

“You just sounded unsure when we started kissing; I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he says.

“Thank you, Clear. You’re quite the gentleman.” With that, he smiles and brings his ear to my chest.

“Your heart is beating really fast, Aoba-san. Are you feeling it too?”

“With you kissing me everywhere, it’s hard not to feel it,” I half laugh. 

He reaches down to unbuckle my belt, and the sound fills the room. It’s a sound full of anticipation and longing. 

“Clear,” I mumble, reaching for his clothes. He’s too dressed. I feel alone as he tugs my pants down my legs.

“What is it? Do you want to touch me too?”

“Of course I do. Take it off,” I pout, tugging at the short hem of his shirt. I hate admitting it, but I want to feel his skin on mine.

He smiles as he pulls his shirt over his head, and I’m met with what looks like a beautifully cut piece of marble. He’s so white and so smooth, he almost doesn’t look real. 

“You’re beautiful,” I whisper, tracing the lines of his abdomen.

“Thank you, Aoba-san. You’re beautiful too. I wish you could see how beautiful you are.” 

Without warning, he kisses my dick through my underwear, and I feel a heat fill me between my hips. I wasn’t expecting that. 

“Clear!” He licks my underwear. I feel his hot breath on me and the wetness soaking through the fabric. He’d never been kissed before but knows how to do all this so skillfully? I run my hand through his hair and find it to be just as soft as the rest of him. He’s an angel. Soft and beautiful like feathery wings. It feels almost wrong for him to be doing these things to me.

He pulls my underwear down and traces his finger along my hardening cock while looking up at me. So much for being an angel. 

“Do you feel good, Aoba-san? It looks like you do.” My cock twitches as he blows on it lightly, then licks. Shit. He’s so gentle that it’s sexy in its own way. 

He licks the underside of my cock again and again, then he takes it and kisses the tip, swirling his tongue around. He goes down and starts sucking.

“Ah…” I let out a small cry of pleasure, and Clear looks pleased. I see pink eyes looking up at me, innocent but longing. I wonder if he’s getting worked up or not, and I find myself wanting his pants off. 

I sit up after a few moments, much to Clear’s dismay, and start to unbuckle his belt.

“A-Aoba-san, what are you doing?”

“Taking my turn. I wanted to touch you too, remember?”

I pull his pants down to reveal a large bend in his underwear. I wasn’t expecting him to be so perfectly proportioned. Is he just perfect all around? 

“So that’s what you think of me, hm, Clear?” I decide to tease him a little since he’s so cute, and he blushes and covers his face.

“I can’t help it, it’s just how you make me feel,” he defends himself. 

“How about I make you feel even better?” I suggest, pulling his underwear down. A large, beautifully shaped cock pops out, and I find myself thinking this whole scenario will be easier than I thought. He’s so hot. 

I kiss the tip and gently lick the underside, teasing him like he did me. I take it in my mouth and move my head down, wasting no time. I flick my tongue as I bob my head up and down, and Clear makes the cutest, most alluring sounds with his beautiful voice. 

Between my sucking and Clear’s moaning, the air takes on a lewd song. 

“Aoba-san, it’s so good,” he breathes out, placing his hand on top of my head. I stroke what I can’t fit in my mouth with my hand, and I decide to go for just a bit longer. This cock is too beautiful not to go inside me. What a dirty thought, Aoba. 

I pull off and lead Clear to my bedroom where I pull out some lube and condoms. I’d bought a fresh pack once Noiz started working at Heibon, just in case, and my instincts had been correct. However, condoms most likely wouldn’t be a thing in our sex life due to the fact that he just rawed me. I still can’t believe I let him go bare. He really does take the better of me. 

“I want to feel you without those,” Clear says. I sigh. I can’t win. I know he’s never been with anyone else, but I’m trying to protect him.

“I was just with someone else unprotected, Clear. You should wear a condom.” 

“I don’t care,” he says, smiling. There’s something sad in that smile though. He really might get his feelings hurt. 

“Suit yourself, I’m just giving you fair warning,” I say, a little concerned. 

He reaches for the lube and runs some through his fingers, a little mesmerized. He’s probably never used any before, but he knows what to do.

“Are you ready, Aoba-san?”

“Yes.”

He sticks a finger in, and I accept it easily. It’s a little uncomfortable, but not nearly as bad as the other night. I have a feeling Clear will be gentler with me anyway. He sticks another finger in and stretches me carefully. He eventually inserts a third, and I feel a  
heat rise in my lower half. I want to be filled with something bigger. 

“I’m ready,” I tell him. 

“Are you sure?” he asks, standing up from his kneeling position on the floor. His cock is so hard. 

“Yes.”

“Okay then. Um, Aoba-san, do you have a mirror?” 

“Um… yes?” I point to a standing mirror in the corner of the room, confused as to why he wanted a mirror of all things right now. He looks fine.

“Let’s do it over there,” he says, guiding me off of the bed. Wait, wait, wait. He wants to do it in front of the mirror?! 

“Wai-“

“Please, Aoba-san? For me? Just this once, I want to see your face, and I want you to see it too.” He proceeds to throw two pillows on the floor. One for our knees and one for my hands, I assume. 

“Clear, this is so…”

“Lewd? I know. I want to share this with you.” I blush and give in to Clear’s request, unable to deny him. 

“Hands and knees,” he says in a singsong voice, pushing me down. He’s so weird.

I look into my eyes; they’re hot with lust, just like Clear’s. I look up at him in the mirror, and he smiles. 

“Ready?” he asks.

“Y-yeah,” I breathe, face hot, knowing what’s about to happen in front of me. 

He pushes against me and slides in. I accept him rather easily after all the prep, but it still leaves me with an uncomfortable pressure at first. He slowly pushes all the way in, and I’m amazed at how little pain I feel. It’s almost all pleasure from the start. I nod in the mirror for him to start moving, and he does. 

He starts a gentle pace, as though he’s scared he’ll break me, but soon he gets lost in his own lust. I moan out as he pushes harder and faster, and I can’t help but look at us in the mirror. Clear’s face is pink and twisted in ecstasy. He thrusts and thrusts, moving at different angles to try and find the best pleasure points. Eventually, he stops.

“Aoba-san, I want you to ride me,” he says shamelessly. How could he just say something like that? He pulls me backwards to where I’m sitting in his lap, and I feel his dick farther in me than before. I position myself on my knees so I can bounce on him. I can’t believe I’m going along with this. 

I start to move on his cock, and feeling it from that different angle drives me wild. I call out, occasionally glancing in the mirror even though I don’t want to. I see my own cock bouncing as I ride him, and it’s very erotic. I didn’t think seeing myself would make me stiffen a little more, but it does. 

“You’re so sexy, Aoba-san,” Clear breathes headily in my ear. It sends chills through me and a shock through my hips. I can see him intently watching me in the mirror, watching where our bodies join, watching my face. He takes my stiff cock in his hand and starts to toy with it, not pumping steadily, but rather trying to find the spots that drive me crazy. Oh boy. I’ll come soon at this rate. He presses at my sensitive cock, then starts to pump. I’m gonna lose it. 

Clear thrusts upward as best as he can, and I feel more heat flood through me. With his pumping, I feel myself starting to let loose. I’m about to come. I ride him harder, searching for that pleasure point, but Clear’s hand makes me come just then. Cum squirts all over Clear’s hand, and I feel double embarrassed as he cleans it off with his tongue. I pant and catch my breath with him still inside of me.

“Was that good? I’m sorry, Aoba-san, but I’m going to use your body a bit longer.”

He pushes me back down to our initial position and starts to pound me. I cry out, extra sensitive, and hold on to the pillow. He thrusts into me a good several more times before he comes inside of me, breathing heavy and watching the mirror. 

“I feel hot… You… You’re hot…You make me hot,” he babbles, pulling out. I moan a little as he does. That was quite a ride. I wouldn’t have expected that from Clear. Ever. Maybe a pervert like Noiz, but the mirror thing from Clear was a surprise. It was kind of  
hot, though. 

I eventually push myself up from the floor and lean against Clear. 

“Do you want to go clean up?” I ask him. “We can go in together.”

“I-if we go in together I m-might… I might be ready again,” he stammers. Wow. So he does have intense drive. 

I give a soft laugh in return. “Okay, I’ll go first then.” I peck him on the cheek and head for the shower. 

 

Mink smokes his pipe, alone, in the dark. He doesn’t much care for company. Something is on his mind, and he can’t seem to throw it to the side, no matter how hard he tries. 

That boy, Aoba. Something is off about him, he thinks. Aoba, Aoba, Aoba. 

Mink had passed the name along to the researcher of his gang, and he’d come back with just a handful of information. Seragaki Aoba. He works at Heibon Office Supplies – boring. He’s in general studies – boring. He lives alone and with his grandmother –  
boring. And he just got his nipples pierced – not quite boring, but useless. 

Scratch has been doing research on alternate universes for quite some time, always just out of reach. They always end up offing people – scientists and researchers – after they refuse to ‘fess up. Sometimes torture just doesn’t work. 

The goal is to save Mink’s heritage. The last female in his tribe, who had recently come of age, had been raped and brutally murdered. No one knows who did it. No one left to carry the line. Mink would do anything to change that. He would bed a female tribe member himself – even though he prefers men – to protect his heritage, but there were none left. 

The only way was to bring someone back from a parallel universe. They do exist. His tribe has always talked about it, great demons and doppelgangers from other worlds. 

Aoba is key in this somehow. Either he knows something, or he doesn’t know that he knows something. Mink is going to find out, regardless. Even if he has to beat it out of him. He feels like he knew Aoba in a past life. Same with that clown at the animal  
shelter. He’s a pain in the ass, though. But somehow, they play a role in this. Fate brought them all together in this world.

Aoba. How could Mink possibly see him again? Show up at the shop? Too direct. Too public. Show up at his apartment? Better, but it’ll scare the shit out of him. Not that he really cares. How could he bring up a heavy subject like parallel universes without sounding like a lunatic? Mink always has a plan, but not this time. 

What if he’s wrong? What if he spills information to this Aoba kid and he doesn’t know anything? Of course, he won’t know anything at first, but Mink has his ways. His instincts are always right, though. He doesn’t have a plan, per se, but he has an inkling. And that’s all he really needs. 

He takes another puff and watches Tori groom himself. Everything he loves – his practice, his tribe – is at stake. And that Aoba boy can definitely help him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update gift time! This chapter is a little shorter and is more fluff and plot progression, and it was part of a much larger chapter before. So, I decided to drop it on a Tuesday. I'll still be updating on Friday as well. Also, i got past my writer's block and have been writing like mad. So stay tuned for more chapters!

A good month and a half has passed since mine and Clear’s little rendezvous. Noiz had been right after all, because Clear seems a lot less clingy. I’ve been on edge though, because every now and then he snatches me down a corridor at school out of desperation for a kiss. It’s kind of cute, but still. 

Noiz and I have been back to normal, but there’s a lot less tension between us now that we’ve established our attraction to each other. We flirt openly now, and it kind of feels good. 

“Hey, loser.” Noiz walks into the shop as soon as I think about him. 

“Brat.” I make a sour face and he smiles. 

“I’m so hurt,” he says, leaning in as if about to kiss me, but Haga walks in from the back, and he quickly swoops away.

“You boys have been getting along so much better lately! Do I sense a blooming romance?”

“N-not a chance,” I say, slightly offended but also flustered.

“That’s not what you said the other night,” Noiz teases. In front of Haga, no less. That little…

“Noiz! Don’t you have a delivery to make or something?!” 

Haga gives a hearty laugh and confirms that Noiz indeed has nothing to do other than annoy me. Great. 

“Looks like it’s you and me,” he says with a half smirk. Haga returns to the back and leaves us to man the shop. 

“How are those piercings holding up?” he asks me.

“Oh. They feel fine. I’ve been taking care of them like I should, so they’re healing nicely.”

“Good. ‘Cause I can’t wait ‘til they’re mine.”

“Noiz!”

“You sure are calling out my name a lot today. It’s kinda turning me on,” he teases. I almost say his name again but catch myself. 

“And you sure are a nuisance.”

“Wanna come over tonight?” he asks with sincerity. 

“I… Um…” I have to think for a second even though my heart and body immediately say yes. “Sure,” I say simply after all my pondering. 

“I’ve been so busy with schoolwork that we haven’t had time to play,” he says with a smoldering look.

“Me too, but you don’t have to put it like that,” I blush. 

“Like what?”

“You know what! I’m not going to entertain you in the slightest,” I say, knowing how to avoid his game. He smiles. He must be in a good mood today. It makes my heart soar a little to see him smile. When I first met him, he hardly did at all – except when he   
was teasing me. Now, he smiles while he talks to me, and he makes more conversation than before. I feel satisfied just thinking about it. I wonder if he just takes a long time to open up to people, or if I’m a special case. I want to know more about him. 

On a whim, I get over my fear and ask him something I’ve been wondering about since day one. 

“Hey, Noiz, can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me whatever you want. That doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”

“Ugh, fine. Why do you have those bandages on all the time?”

“Ah. Burns,” he answers simply.

“From what?!”

“Coffee. Then boiling water a week later.”

“Shouldn’t that have healed by now?”

“Yeah but I still have scars. Don’t like them.”

“I see,” I mumble. He’s definitely peculiar. And a big klutz too, apparently. “Can I see them?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

It seems suspicious that that’s all. I feel like there’s more to the story, but I won’t push. The room goes quiet for a moment before I talk again.

“Thank you for answering my question, at least. I wish you’d be a little more careful, though.” 

“I don’t mind answering your questions so much,” he says, making eye contact with me. He isn’t smiling; he’s serious. 

“Thank you. I’ll remember that,” I say, not sure of how else to express my gratitude. “While we’re on the subject of questions: why’d you want to work here of all places?” 

“Computer parts. And it’s quiet.”

“But you have money. Do you just need something to do? I’d probably be the same way, now that I think about it.”

“Yeah. Plus I had a dream that I changed because of someone.”

“So… you got a job.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re weird. I’ve been having weird dreams too lately. I dreamed Ren could talk, I keep having dreams about the leader of Scratch, and about you with some weird little bunny robot and a weird outfit,” I ramble. My dreams really have been strange lately. They   
all seem to correlate too. “I even dreamed our school counselors were yakuza.”

“Virus and Trip?’

“Yep.”

“You’re the weird one.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” I think out loud.

 

The time comes for the shop to close, and Noiz gets awfully close. Now it’s time to “play” as Noiz puts it, and the tension is high.

“Do you want to stop by your place first or come straight over?” he asks me, voice charged with a hint of longing. 

“I need to feed Ren and get a change of clothes… I mean if you don’t mind me staying over, of course.”

“I was hoping you would,” he says with honesty. That was… not like him.

“O-okay then. I’ll go get my things and be right over, unless you want to come with me.”

“I’ll come. Haven’t met your dog,” he says, nonchalant as always. 

“Okay, he loves company.”

When we step inside, Ren becomes excited to see a new face. However, Noiz has plans other than petting my dog. I’m pinned to my front door within seconds and caught in a kiss. He moves his lips with fervor and pushes his tongue in, and the feeling of his   
urgency goes straight to my hips. It’s been a month since we’ve had a proper kiss. We’ve sneaked a few at the shop, but not like this. Like Noiz said, we’ve just been so busy.

“Sorry. Couldn’t wait any longer.” 

“Don’t apologize,” I say, a little breathless. “I needed that.”

Ren makes an anxious sound, and I realize he’s been ignored. Normally I pet him first thing when I walk in. 

“Hey buddy,” I say, petting him with a shaky hand. I can’t believe Noiz can do this to me – put me in this kind of state just from kissing me. 

Noiz walks up to pet Ren and his tail goes wild. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting him to like Noiz as much as he did Clear. I was mistaken. 

“Cute,” Noiz says.

Does he secretly have a soft spot for animals? Maybe?

“Are you going to get your things?” Noiz asks, a hint of anticipation in his voice. 

“Uh, yeah.”

I hurry to gather my stuff, a little anticipatory myself. I shove a change of clothes into a bag along with my toothbrush, then I run to feed Ren. 

“I’m ready,” I say, breathless. 

He stands up from the sofa and makes his way toward me, predatory. I know he’s about to devour me. He pulls my head toward his own and kisses me so thoroughly I feel my knees start to shake. He reaches behind me with his free hand and squeezes my ass, gripping tight. I moan against his lips, and that feeling of anticipation comes back. 

“Your moaning is gonna be the death of me.” He pulls away from my lips and smacks me on the ass. I yelp a little and he smiles. “We’ll see what kind of sounds you make when I do that to you later,” he promises. I shiver a little at the thought. 

We separate and leave my apartment to go to his. The walk there is dark, and as usual I feel jumpy. Having Noiz with me makes me feel a bit better, but not by much. 

In that instant, I feel a hand link with my own. What? Is Noiz holding my hand? I look down to see that Noiz is indeed holing my hand. Wow. I hate to admit it, but it really does make me feel better. I wonder if he did it for me, knowing how skittish I am about being out at night. I’m not going to ask him, though, so I can only wonder. 

“Noiz…”

Just as I’m starting to feel comfortable, I hear a motorcycle rev and see lights reflecting off of a nearby building. Shit. I grip Noiz’s hand tighter when I see a large man’s shadow on the opposite building. I know exactly who it is, and I’m about to pull Noiz into a sprint when the motor bike drives away. 

He’s taking notes on me. He’s following me. He knows where I live. I start to panic when Noiz puts his hands on my shoulders. 

“Hey, snap out of it. You okay? It was just a motorcycle.”

“No it wasn’t. It was him. He’s following me.”

“What? Scratch? If that was a Scratch member they wouldn’t have driven away.”

“No. He’s following me and keeping tabs on me because I found out something I shouldn’t have.”

“What?” Noiz asks with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t want to get you involved in this too. Now he’s seen you and he’s gonna try and figure you out too. Damnit.” 

“Hey, just calm down. Clearly he doesn’t want to hurt you that bad, or he already would have.”

“That’s true, I guess. But he knows where I live.”

“Well you’re staying at my place for the night so you’ll be fine.”

“Yeah…” I almost forget where I’m heading. Noiz takes my hand again and we keep walking. 

 

Mink sets out to find out more about Aoba. He has his work and home address, so he decides to put it to good use. It’s about 6 o’ clock, so he should be getting off of work soon. He parks his bike in an alleyway near Heibon and waits. He doesn’t know what   
he’s expecting, but he feels like something interesting will reveal itself to him. 

Mink never expected this life for himself. He was to live a peaceful life within his tribe, until the government decided to rape, plunder, and destroy even more than they already had. Over and over again, more of his community dwindles. Now he finds himself the leader of a gang in Japan of all places, because it’s the only place he could find any leads. A certain Toue corporation knows something. He just needs the right people to break in. His current men aren’t… tactful enough. 

Just then, he sees a blue head of hair and hears a cheerful voice. 

“I’ll go get my things and be right over, unless you want to come with me.”

“I’ll come. Haven’t met your dog.”

Who is he with? They sound fairly close if they’re staying at each other’s places. Just another threat. Mink watches and waits until they’re gone to follow them. He takes an alternate route to Aoba’s apartment, where he waits again. It takes them a while to come out of the apartment, but it will all be worth it. 

Eventually, as it’s dark, they exit the building. He observes as the blond-headed boy takes Aoba’s hand. He looks shocked, but smitten. Boyfriends. Interesting. 

“Noiz…”

Noiz. Also interesting. That will be easy enough to hack. 

He revs his bike in the silence and turns on his bright light, hoping to make the boy piss his pants a little. He’ll know exactly who this bike belongs to. 

Perfect. So if Aoba doesn’t comply, Mink will kill his boyfriend. Love is always the best leverage.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy second update this week! I've been writing away, so please stay tuned every friday for more updates! Thanks to all my new readers for the kudos and comments. I really appreciate it!

I take the fancy glass of water that Noiz is handing me. I need it. He sits by me on the sofa and places his arm behind me, almost around me but not quite. I feel like it’s his way of trying to comfort me without being too obvious, like a cat lying down next to you instead of in your lap. 

“I think I’m okay now. I’m just going to have to come to terms with the fact I’m under watch,” I say, sipping at my water. 

“It could’ve just been a coincidence, but even if it wasn’t, can’t you see where he’s coming from?”

“Honestly, yeah. I’d want to protect my secret too. And the best way to do that is through intimidation.”

“Exactly. So just ignore him, keep his shit to yourself, and you’ll be fine.”

“Yeah. I hope.” 

Noiz sighs and puts his arm fully around my shoulders, massaging my arm with his fingers. It feels gentle and genuine, and I fully accept it. 

“You can still stay here even if you don’t feel like doing anything tonight.”

“Thank you. I-“ I blush, thinking about the way he kissed me back there, “I still want to… if you do…”

“Hm. Horny thing,” Noiz teases.

“T-that’s not my fault! You’re the one kissing me like you want to eat me,” I stammer.

“That pout is something.” He kisses my neck and rolls his pierced tongue up to my ear, where he whispers. “I want to try all kinds of things with you.”

I shudder at both the sensation and the words. What kinds of things is he wanting to try exactly? Sheesh. 

“Like what”

“Everything. I’ll show you.” He bites at my neck and slides his hand along my inner thigh, and my temperature starts to rise. 

Feeling bold, I get up and position myself in Noiz’s lap, straddling him. He looks surprised, and a little amused, but it doesn’t stop me from initiating a melty kiss. It’s wet and sloppy and really hot, and Noiz even lets out a little sound of pleasure. 

“Gonna give me a lap dance?” he smiles through the kiss. 

“In your dreams.”

He starts to lift my shirt up, and I pull the rest off myself. He takes a second to admire my piercings.

“Yes, these are good. Too bad I can’t touch them yet.”

I hum in response, feeling him trace my abdomen and the waistline of my pants. I start to tug at his shirt too, wanting to feel him. We remove it together, and I start to trail little kisses from his neck down his chest. Noiz lets out a relaxed sigh.

“It feels so good to be able to feel.”

“Hm?” I ask, still lost in exploring his skin. I’m on my knees between his legs at this point, kissing down his stomach. I want him. 

“Nothing,” he says as I start to unbuckle his belt. The sound is sexy in itself, very suggestive. I pull his pants and underwear down together, revealing a slight arousal. I kiss his thighs, and then I run my lips over his cock. Some part of me just wants to worship him and make him feel good. I’m normally not so assertive, but I’m feeling it tonight. 

I take his cock in my mouth and slowly move down on it. My lips move over his piercings, and it feels amazing. I suck on each piece of metal, which earns me a few grunts of pleasure. I’m so ready for him that his cock tastes like the best thing in the world. I want all of him. I start to bob my head up and down on his sensitive flesh and feel him take a fistful of my hair. This is delightful, sinful, and everything I want. 

Now that he’s fully hard, he pulls my head away and stares at me. 

“Not complaining, but what got into you?” 

“You did. And now I don’t think I can get enough.”

“Hm. I’ll give it to you, then.” 

My hair is still balled in his closed fist, and he pulls me up for a kiss.

“Bedroom. Now.”

“Mmm,” I reply, dazed from the kiss.

Once in his room, Noiz takes priority in undoing my pants and wriggling them off. He bends me over the bed and pulls my underwear down, then he delivers a sharp smack to my ass. I gasp and claw the sheets. He said he would do this, but I thought he was joking. It feels humiliating, but it’s also kind of exciting. He spanks me again, on the other cheek, and I let out a mix between a whine and a moan. 

“You submit to me so easy; I’m almost embarrassed for you.” 

“Has it occurred to you that I submit because I like it?”

“So you like being my little slut, hm?” He smacks my bottom – hard – and squeezes.

“Ah! Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“I like it.”

“What do you like?”

“I like being your slut,” I finally reply. I can feel my nipples harden and cock stiffen as I say it, and I feel like I’m opening a whole new can of worms with Noiz. This could be dangerous. 

“Good. That means you’ll like all the things I try with you.”

I feel a shudder run through me at the thought of being Noiz’s plaything. I like the idea a little too much. Maybe this is why I was so dissatisfied all along; I need someone to be my dominant but also my equal. 

Noiz allows for one last spank before disappearing into his closet. I imagine my ass is red as hell, but I kind of liked it anyway. No one’s ever done that to me before. 

He comes out with a plastic grocery bag that looks filled with something kind of heavy. I wonder what it could possibly be, when he speaks up.

“How do you feel about being tied up?” 

I pause to think. “I… I don’t know. I’ve never been tied up before. Does it hurt?”

“Not if you cooperate,” he says, pulling out a pile of rope. “Don’t worry, I’m not going all out.”

“Okay…” 

“We’ll save that for another time. I want you too bad right now.”

His words make my heart flutter and reassure me that everything will be okay. 

“On your back, feet down here.” He motions for me to bring my feet to the edge of the bed, by the footboard. He starts to tie my feet to the posts, and I start to sweat a bit. This leaves me totally exposed and open, and I feel embarrassed. I squirm.

“Didn’t I say it wouldn’t hurt if you cooperate? Yeah, you’re not cooperating.”

“Sorry… it’s just… embarrassing.”

“What is?”

“Being all exposed.”

“Don’t be stupid. I’ll show you it’s no reason to be embarrassed,” he says as he finishes his rope work. He comes around the bed and traces from my ankle all the way up my leg. He lightly flicks my cock and I twitch in response. I try to pull my legs up but  
remember they’re bound. Noiz strokes at me a few times before tracing up my torso and sticking his fingers in my mouth. I grab his arms as I suck on his large middle and forefinger.

“That won’t do.”

What won’t do? He leans down to kiss me and I wrap my arms around him; his flesh is warm and I want to take all of him in. 

“Noiz.”

“Gotta tie you up here too,” he says, gripping my hands together. No. 

“I want to feel you.”

“Too bad.”

He reaches behind him to grab more rope, and I feel myself getting nervous. Giving up my control is a little nerve-wracking, but I trust him. 

“Hmm, we’re missing something.” He disappears into his closet again and comes out with a black tie. Oh no. 

“Do you like surprises?”

“Not really,” I reply, sassy. 

“Hmph. Too bad again.”

He ties the tie around my eyes, and I’m left totally defenseless. It’s scary and really hot at the same time. I’m confused. 

I feel the bed shift and then a bite on the flesh of my side. He digs his teeth into me, licks, and sucks at my skin, and I feel a heat stir inside of me. It was a random attack, and I wasn’t expecting it. He’s showing me how sensory deprivation can be fun. 

He gets off the bed and I hear him pad away. He must be going to his closet again. I hear some rustling and hear the light flick off as he makes his way back. He’s standing at the foot of the bed, where my feet are exposed. 

Suddenly, I’m struck with a shock unlike any other I was expecting. I jerk my feet around and my whole body convulses. He’s tickling my feet. Ugh. 

“Noiz! Ha! Stop it, seriously. Are you five?!” Despite my pleas, he continues. I imagine I look erotic, convulsing and calling out, cock bouncing. Regardless, it’s annoying and I wish he would stop. Finally, he does. I’m out of breath and annoyed, and my feet are  
hypersensitive. 

With that thought, I feel something wet sliding up my left foot while he massages the other. What? Is he licking my foot? I feel his tongue weave in and out of my toes and I feel… uncomfortable? I’d seen it happen in plenty of porn, but I never imagined it actually happening to me. I’m not sure how I feel.

“Hh… Noiz…? –“ 

However, when he removes his tongue and the sensation is replaced with skin, I’m left blushing. What now? I curl my toes to study the shape and texture, and then I feel it press against me, hard. His cock is brushing against my foot, and it feels really sexy somehow. Taboo. I feel his piercings slide against my sensitive skin. I find myself wishing I could cup him with both of my feet, but I’m still tied firm. So instead, I curl my toes against the tip and hear his breath hitch. Good. 

He leaves the foot of the bed to pull me to where my knees are propped up, and he shoves a pillow under my back to raise me up a bit. I hear a cap open and hear a rustling bag. Before I know it, I feel something cold and wet pressing at my entrance. He pushes it in, and I accept it rather easily. A small plug? He twists it and moves it around for a while to open me up a little. He pulls it in and out, and I feel myself getting a little hot, wanting something bigger. 

As if upon my request, he almost instantly switches the plug for a larger, textured, more phallic-shaped piece. It feels so good that I start to moan out. 

“Liking this huh?”

“Mmm,” I blush at his words, ashamed of my pleasure somehow, but my cock stiffens even more at his raspy whisper. I start to notice everything is heightened since I can’t see. 

“You really are a shameless slut. You love this. Being tied up and in my control,” he says with firmness. It sends a shock through me. I hum in response. I really do though. I love it.

He takes the dildo out and replaces it with yet another, larger one. I hear a buzzing and feel a vibration start to fill my insides. Oh, this one has a surprise. 

I call for Noiz, desperately wanting to put my hands on him. I buck against the vibrator as best I can, and he chuckles. 

“You’re so sexy like this. Such a mess,” he whispers close to me. 

“Ha… Noiz… I want you. I want to feel you.”

Without a word, he gets off the bed, leaving the vibrator inside of me. I feel it start to slip out, and the tip of it is left buzzing at my wet entrance. Noiz undoes the rope around one of my ankles, and I feel his weight on the bed again. 

He pulls my free leg over his shoulder and pushes his throbbing cock against me, slowly pushing in. I feel a relief like no other flow through me. Yes, those piercings and that hot flesh feel better than any toy. This is what I wanted. 

Noiz starts to move, and I feel myself twitch with pleasure. Maybe I’m so excited because it’s been so long. Maybe being blindfolded adds to the experience. Who knows? I’m just happy to be having interesting sex. 

I feel his hand slide up my body as he starts a rough rhythm, hand up my chest, to my neck. He squeezes lightly. I love the feeling; my blood is pulsing against his grip. He pounds into me hard, and I make a strangled sound. 

He leaves my neck to squeeze my shoulder and balance himself as he goes harder still, but he slows his pace and starts to fondle my pulsing dick. I’m so hard from all the attention. The slightest touch might send me overboard. 

Noiz seems to pick up on this, so he goes back to hugging my leg to his chest and squeezing my thigh – a little too hard. 

“Nope, gotta see that pretty face,” he says, and suddenly I can see. It takes a minute for my eyes to adjust, even though the room is fairly dark. 

“Beautiful,” he says, even though he could say the same for himself. His hair is a little ruffled, and he’s sweating a bit. I can see the green of his eyes more intensely than before, and it gives me chills. The piercings on his face shine in what little light there is to  
offer. I want to touch his face, but my hands are still bound. He’s beautiful. Through everything, it’s this moment I decide I don’t want him to ever go away: pile driving me with messy hair. I could get used to this. I really could. 

“Noiz… don’t stop…” is the only sentiment I can muster out. He’s fucking my brains out, and I can’t think properly except that I want him to stay. I’m scared he’ll leave now. 

He turns me on my side, which hurts a little considering my other leg is tied up, but I don’t say anything. I’m too lost in pleasure to fool with the pain. He repositions my free leg and then drills into me again. I call out as he smacks my ass again and again. All  
the sensation leaves me frustrated and wanting to touch myself, but I can’t. I’m starting to go numb after everything I’ve taken in.

After a few more moments, Noiz turns me on my back again, and my leg is relieved. My ass is tingling, and I feel the sheets ever intensely against my bottom. He pushes into me again. Damn. That feeling never gets old – the metal sliding into me. 

“Fuck… Noiz… More.”

His pace becomes strained and erratic after my words. His breath falls heavy in the air, and he grunts as he pounds into me. He starts to grip at my swollen cock and lightly twist his hand. I raise my tied hands above my head to grip the sheets below me.

“I’m gonna cum in that pretty ass.”

“Please…”

“You’re so good… so good…” his words hitch as he comes inside of me, and I feel his piercings slide against my entrance as he pulls out and very slightly pushes back in. At the feeling, I sense my own climax arriving as he squeezes me harder. Cum shoots  
along my stomach, and some lands on my face. I came so hard, and it’s kind of embarrassing. 

He leans over and licks the cum off of my face, and smears the rest across my stomach with his own as he hovers over me. I’m both appalled and aroused as he kisses me and runs his hand through my sweaty hair.

“Fuck.” 

“Yeah,” I reply. He pulls out and promptly goes to undo my other tied ankle. 

“Let’s get cleaned up.”

I follow him to the bathroom, wobbling after all that, and I realize my hands are still tied.

“Noiz…”

“Hm?” he looks at me, then sees my outstretched arms. “Ah.”

My eyes squint in the light of the bathroom. Noiz unties my wrists, and I quickly grip at the reddened rope marks. Seeing the aftermath is somehow satisfying though; the little indentions remind me of the heat that just took place. 

I take some tissues and clean myself while Noiz comes at my stomach with a damp towel. It always surprises me how caring he is; it doesn’t match his cool, disinterested exterior. Like earlier when he said I could stay even if we didn’t have sex. Something  
about that seemed like he went out of his way to be caring and comforting, as if it’s something he wouldn’t normally say. It makes me wonder again if I’m a special case. Or not. Don’t get cocky, Aoba.

Out of nowhere, I act on an urge and pull Noiz close to kiss him hard. I leave a kiss on each cheek and kiss his lips again, sliding my tongue in. I feel the metal ball on his tongue and think how incredibly Noiz it is. How incredibly unique he is. 

“We can go again, but I didn’t think you’d want to so soon,” he smirks.

“I don’t want to go again. I just wanted to kiss you. What was that you said not too long ago? ‘If I feel like kissing you, I should be able to?’” 

“I did say that. And I still stand by that. Touché,” he pauses, “But what brought that on?”

“A man has his secrets,” I tease, offering a warm smile. I walk back toward his bed now that I’m all clean, and I wait for him to follow before getting in. 

He wraps his arms around me once we’re in bed, and he whispers.

“I think… I think I could get used to you being around.”

“I think I could get used to that too,” I reply after my heart jumps two beats. 

“You should come over to study sometimes.”

“Like we’d get any studying done.”

“What do you mean? I could be the teacher, and you could wear a schoolgirl unifor-“

“Shut up! I’ve heard enough!”

He laughs softly, and the sound is just as beautiful as the rest of him. I don’t hear it too often. I feel him breathe against my neck, and my eyes flitter shut. 

“Goodnight, Noiz.”

“Goodnight, blue boy” he says, planting a kiss on my cheek. I smile and feel myself drift into sleep, forgetting all the bad things and remembering only Noiz.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's update time! I'm nervous about posting this chapter. You'll either love or hate it. I personally hate it, but I wrote it anyway. Now is the time to turn away if you are triggered by forced/non-con elements (i.e the garbage twins). If you do not wish to read, message me in the comments, and I'll let you know what happens! This chapter is important but also very questionable, so enjoy (or don't)! I imagine if you're in this fandom, you're probably unbothered. But i put the trigger warning anyway. Love y'all!

I wake up in Noiz’s arms, still groggy from the night before. Everything feels right until I remember Mink. A prickle of fear starts in between my eyes and spreads throughout my brain. I feel Noiz shift awake and stretch, probably sensing my distress. 

“Morning,”

“Morning. How’d you sleep?” I ask.

“Good. You?”

“I had more weird dreams. We were in this game called Rhyme. You kept wanting to play me… and we were at Granny’s house… And we had fancy futuristic watches with floating screens and stuff.”

“Like I said before, you’re weird.” He pecks my cheek and rolls over to check the time. It’s 9 a.m. “I have a few quizzes to take online and a paper to write. You can stay if you want.” 

“I have a paper to write too. Been procrastinating on that.”

“I have a laptop you can use if you want”

“O-okay… as long as you really don’t mind me staying.”

“Don’t mind at all.”

 

Noiz and I study and chat for the majority of the day, and everything is peaceful. I start to forget Scratch and allow myself to nest into Noiz’s presence. He’s back to his cool, calm self, most likely because we got each other out of our systems so well last night. 

But somehow, it’s like it made me crave him more. Not in a sexual way, per se, but his presence. 

When I’m halfway through my paper, I decide it’s time to leave and go check on things at home. 

Noiz walks me to the door, but before I can leave, he grabs me by the waist and pulls me into a kiss. 

“Mm!” 

He licks my lips, and I open for him immediately. Our tongues twist together while I drape my arms over his shoulders. I melt into him. He pulls me closer by the belt loops and moves the kiss to my neck. It’s slow and sensual and makes my heart pound a little   
harder. I let out a satisfied sigh and run my hands down his back.

“You could leave, or we could go for another round,” Noiz whispers against my jaw. Tempting. 

“I really… need to…”

He squeezes my ass and bites my neck – lightly but with warning that he could go harder. 

“…go…. But….”

“But? You know, spring break is coming up and I won’t get to see you. You’re going home for the week aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then maybe, just maybe, for the sake of it all, we should – “

I kiss him hard again, and push him further into the living room. He makes a surprised little sound and grips at my back, pulling my shirt up. I just can’t keep away. 

 

Noiz was right after all, about spring break coming quick on the heels. I still have scheduling for next semester to get done, and the thought fills me with dread. Virus and Trip are my scheduling advisors, and they just… like me a lot. I don’t like talking with   
school staff for very long, and they always keep me for longer than it takes to schedule. 

The next day, I sigh and walk to their office. 

“Aoba-san, how nice to see you,” Virus welcomes. “You’re a few days late, actually. We were expecting you.”

Virus is the only other person besides Clear to actively call me “Aoba-san.” It’s weird coming from him. 

“Sorry about that, I’ve been kind of busy.”

“Catching up on all the schoolwork you slept on at the beginning of the semester?” Trip asks with a little snark. 

“Something like that,” I say, bashful. The beginning of the semester wasn’t my brightest moment. 

“Have a seat. We’ll get you all taken care of,” Virus assures. “Let me pull you up here. Hm. You still haven’t chosen a major. General studies will only get you so far. I advise you pick soon. This is your third semester, Aoba-san.” 

“About that… I just don’t know.”

“I know it’s below your level, but why don’t you take mine and Trip’s business introduction course? Business is a good route to go when you’re trapped.”

“I don’t know. I don’t really see myself as a businessman.”

“You don’t have to sell vacuums door to door. You could open up a bookstore, an adult store, anything your little heart desires. Remember, Trip and I are here for you, Aoba-san.”

The air shifts suddenly, and I feel a thick film of creepy-crawlies on my skin. Something seems off. 

“I’ll um, think about that. Thanks. I’ll pick a major next semester; I promise.”

“You really should choose now, considering we’re scheduling for next semester right this moment,” Trip adds. 

“He’s right. How can we enter the right courses if you don’t know?”

“Fine. I can always change it later, right?”

“Of course,” Virus coos. 

“Then I’ll do the business thingy or whatever. Just wanna get all this over with.”

“Business major it is,” Virus says as he begins to type. “You’ve already taken intro to economics. Good. We’ll put you in for marketing, business management, and our course, which will go smoothly with the other two. And you still have a literature and an   
elective.” 

While Virus talks, I can feel Trip eyeing me. It’s not a good feeling. I start to sense a change in both of them that I can’t place, but I feel like I want to get out of here as soon as I can. 

“I, um, I’ll just take anything. Any literature is fine. And maybe like a creative writing? An art? I don’t know.”

“We’ll put you down for poetry, how’s that? You seem rather poetic, Aoba-san. Poetic people are usually beautiful like you.” 

“Um…”

“Maybe art would suit him. He kind of looks like a sculpture or a doll,” Trip says, tapping his pen on the desk slowly – like a cat thumping its tail. 

Okay, now I’m creeped out. I feel very cornered, and I start to grab my bag to leave when Trip gets up and locks the door. Shit. What are they doing? 

Virus sighs. “Aoba-san, you’re a very naïve young man. We’ve been watching you for a while. We know you were depressed. We know who you’re sleeping with, and how they pulled you out of your depression. How lewd, to be cured of your blues with a little bedroom action.”

“What the fuck, what… why…” 

I’m shocked, appalled, creeped out, and indeed feeling very naïve. I haven’t seen these two since the last time I scheduled, but they’ve been watching me? 

“Are you in love, Aoba-san?” Virus asks with a dark and serious expression. His whole aura changes.

“What do you care?” I spit. Virus just laughs. 

“You’re special, Aoba, and we care about you deeply,” Trip purrs as he puts his giant hands on my shoulders. 

No. No no no. I can’t deal with this sort of thing again. I’m already dealing with Scratch. Why does this keep happening to me? What’s wrong with me?

“I wonder if his voice is as pretty as it is in Midorijima Prime. Maybe we should push him to his limit and see.”

Midorijima Prime? What? My voice? I’m so confused. But before I can ruminate any further, Trip picks me up and slams me on top of the desk. Virus removes the monitor and slides the rest of his belongings off of the desk’s surface. No. I’m not ready. I’m not ready. I close my legs shut tight and curl into a ball.

“Look how cute,” Virus says softly. I close my eyes. 

“He’s like a puppy.” 

Their voices blend together. I don’t care who’s talking anymore. I just want to leave. Wait. I can leave. I can just make a run for it. I get up and sprint for the door, fumbling to unlock it, but Trip comes up behind me and almost breaks my arms with his sheer force. 

“It’s pointless, Aoba-san. I’m sorry. But we’re here to help you. We’re here to teach you about yourself. You’ll thank us in the end.”

“No the fuck I won’t. Let me go!” I struggle in Trip’s unrelenting grip and attempt to kick Virus, but I can’t reach. He throws me back onto the desk and Virus holds my wrists while Trip starts to undo my belt. 

“This is the only way without hurting you. We don’t want to hurt you.”

So raping me isn’t hurting me?! I’ll get these psychos fired and arrested if it’s the last thing I do… 

Trip shoves his fingers into my mouth, and I gag around them. He seems bumbling and careless. I knee him in the ribs and he goes unfazed. 

“Just behave, Aoba-san. But do what comes naturally to you.”

What comes naturally to me is to struggle. I don’t want to be here. I want to go home. I want Ren. I want Noiz. Why does this sort of thing happen to me? 

Tears squeeze out of my eyes as Trip pulls his fingers out, and Virus wipes my tears with his thumb. 

“Don’t cry, Aoba-san. Although it is rather cute.” 

I struggle to punch Virus with the hand he’d left free to wipe my tears. I reach his jaw and land with decent impact for my angle, and his glasses slide down his nose.

“Now, now.” He pushes his glasses back up and holds both of my hands together with one of his, rather roughly. He yanks off his tie and goes to work around my wrists. No. Please, no. 

By this point, Trip had worked off my pants and underwear and was struggling to push my thighs up. I have my legs shut tight, tighter than I imagined I could, but he manages to push them up anyway. Virus pulls my shirt up.

“Naughty, naughty, Aoba-san. That boy with the piercings must be quite an influence on you,” he says, referring to my piercings. He flicks them, and I hope to heavens he doesn’t do anything else. I still have a month or so of healing to go. An infection is the   
last thing I need right now. 

I yell out as Trip shoves his wet finger into my ass. I don’t want this. Please. He works in another, and I yell some more, hoping someone will hear me. They don’t seem worried though, so their hell office is probably soundproofed. 

“You’ll give in to us eventually. It will take some time – probably halfway through our business course, which you signed up for of your own volition, by the way. And you will stick around for it, Aoba-san, or we will do the unimaginable to your life. We know   
everything about you.” 

I scream as Trip rams three fingers into me without ceasing. Suddenly I remember the dream I had where these two were yakuza, and it starts to feel real. 

“We even know you’ve been having weird dreams, Aoba-san. Nothing is kept secret from us. Those dreams are real, real as anything happening to you right now. We’ll show you. It’ll just take time.”

Virus hands Trip a large black stapler with gold trim, and I start to struggle even harder. 

“Now, show us your true voice, Aoba-san.”

Trip wriggles the closed end of the stapler into my ass, and I scream. 

“Stop! Please! Just let me – ah! Go!”

I feel it stretching my insides, the shape of it awkward and jagged in my mostly-dry hole, and the sharp bottom edge cuts at me. 

He shoves it in harder, and I scream out. It seems like an eternity passes before he stops. The tears drip harder. 

“It’s all the way in. Nothing,” I hear Trip say. 

“Well then. We can make it a little game. Let’s see how much we can fit into Aoba-san before he sings for us.”

Trip rams the stapler into me hard and keeps thrusting. I’ve never felt such pain. Struggling hurts. My head is pounding, and my vision is going blurry. I feel an anxious puddle in my lower back – urging me to run. I bite at the tie around my wrists, practically   
growling. 

I watch Virus pass Trip a jumbo sharpie. He pushes it in, and I yell. It pinches my skin and pushes the sharp edge of the stapler even further into me. I’ve had enough. Virus digs through his desk drawer, and I can’t see what he’s pulling out. My vision goes blurry, and I see the veins of my eyeballs flash red. My head pounds harder, and I can feel myself about to yell really loud.

“He’s doing it! Trip! Now!” 

“Hagh!”

I feel Trip chop at my throat, and I gag and splutter. My vision returns to normal, but I feel even angrier than I did before. I feel the stapler and sharpie slide out of me, and I get up off the desk on a burst of adrenaline. With my pants around my ankles and my   
hands tied, I run for the door. I manage to get it unlocked, but they both tackle me. 

“So we know it works in this universe too,” Virus says to Trip, out of breath.

“Yeah, but we might as well finish what we started.”

No. Please no, I just want to go home. You’ve tortured me enough. 

“Should we? It really would be a shame to waste this opportunity with our Aoba-san, even though we found what we were looking for.” 

I start to cry again, knowing what they’re about to do to me, and all I can think is that I miss Noiz and I miss my dog. I miss Granny and I just want to go home and see her. I was so close… so close to spring break. And this had to happen. It pisses me off to the   
point I feel like yelling. I hear Trip and Virus speaking to each other, but I can’t hear what they’re saying. My vision goes red, red, red. What’s happening to me? 

“Trip, he’s doing it again.”

Another sharp punch to my throat. Fuck. The pain is so intense.

The two of them lift me up and toss me back on the desk again, where Virus starts to kiss me. He attempts to stick his tongue in, but I keep my mouth shut firm. Meanwhile, I feel Trip spit at my asshole and finger me a few times before shoving a massive cock   
into my unlubed hole. I scream, and Virus’s tongue entangles with mine. 

Virus drags his nails along my torso lightly, and it gives me chill bumps. Trip presses his thumbs into my hips while he moves inside me, rough. As much as I hate it, as much as I’m crying, the feeling of two men on me at once starts to stir an unwilling heat   
inside of me. I hate this. I hate it. 

I feel someone start to stroke my limp cock, and I imagine that it’s Virus. He has his fingers in my mouth, and he’s looking into my eyes, hovering over me. 

“You’re starting to feel it, aren’t you, Aoba-san? In time, you’ll behave for us. You’ll respond to us like you should.” His voice is sweet as always, and it stays that way no matter how menacing his words. 

My cock starts to twitch a bit from the action, and I hate myself for it. I hear Trip’s grunts of pleasure, and it makes me hot. Stop. Stop. I don’t want this. 

Virus unzips his pants and promptly shoves his dick against my mouth. I won’t open, so he yanks my hair – hard – and I wince enough for him to shove it in my mouth. I’m being filled at both ends, and I start to feel nauseated. I gag around his cock and struggle to pull away, but he has his hand firm in my hair.

“Struggling is useless. You should give in to your natural state of pleasure, Aoba-san. You’ll benefit from it.”

Without thinking of the repercussions, I bite Virus’s cock. He lets out a seething sound between his teeth and yanks my head off of him. 

“That wasn’t very nice of you,” he says cheerfully. “Trip, are we ready to try it?”

“Ready if you are,” he responds. 

Almost immediately, he lifts me up and I’m left to balance myself by holding onto his shoulders. It feels intimate, and I hate it. I sense Virus walk up behind me, and it’s then that I realize what they’re about to do. No. Please no. Trip’s is big enough. I don’t need two large cocks inside of me. 

Virus starts to push in with a struggle, and I yell. 

“Stop, please, just let me go. Please,” I cry. I dig my nails into Trip’s vest as I’m being stretched out. At some point, I start to black out. The pain is too much; the whole situation is too much. 

Red. Red. Red. Everything is red and static. They’re moving inside me, hot.

“Stop!”

 

I want to destroy.

 

I want to destroy.

 

My vision slowly comes back, and my head stings even more than it did before. I look up to see Virus and Trip on the ground, writhing a little. I gasp, pull my pants up with a struggle, and finish untying my binds with my teeth. I silently slip out of the office and shut the door behind me. How did I do that? Did I really do that?

 

I immediately call Noiz when I’ve made it downstairs and to the campus fountain. Please pick up. Please don’t be in class. 

“Yo.”

“Noiz…” I waver, unable to hold in my emotions, “Can I see you right now.”

“Shit… what happened? Yeah I’m in the café. Where are you?”

“I’m at the fountain. I can’t walk very well right now. I think I might pass out. I need… to see you.”

“I’ll be right there. Just hold on. I’m leaving now.”

 

“They fucking what?!”

“They raped me.”

“I’ll kick their asses. I’ll kill them.”

“Noiz, no, they’re dangerous. They’ve been stalking me. They know about you, they know about the dreams I’ve been having, and I did something… to them…”

“Did you kill them?”

“I don’t know…”

“Shit I wasn’t serious,” Noiz says, looking a little concerned.

“They kept talking about wanting to hear my voice. Something about my voice. And they were talking about other universes and whatnot, and I thought they were insane, but…”

“But what?”

“I yelled. And the next thing I know, they’re on the floor twitching like I’d tased them or something.”

“Are you sure you didn’t do something to them? Like do you carry a taser? You probably should, now that I think about it.”

“I don’t have one. I didn’t have anything except my schoolbag.”

“I don’t… know what to make of this. But I do know you need to report this immediately and get a rape kit done. You left them there?”

“I didn’t know what else to do. I just wanted out of there. I don’t know how long they’ll stay down.”

“Report it before they can do anything to you. If they’re as insane as you say they are, they’ll have something planned.” 

I go to take a picture of my red wrists, but I get a message that says ‘storage full.’ What? I don’t have that many photos. I go to check my camera roll and find a 38 minute video. No way. I click on it to see what it is.

“This is the only way without hurting you. We don’t want to hurt you.” Sounds of me struggling fill the audio. “Just behave, Aoba-san. But do what comes naturally to you.” 

“Noiz!” We look at each other, determined, and stand up. My camera must have come on during the struggle, and I feel like this is my only chance. I have proof. 

We make our way to the university president’s office and hope for the best. I have a dark feeling in my gut, however, that this is not the last I’ll see of those two.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm a day late with updating! Stressful week. This chapter is self-indulgent Noiz and Aoba fluff so enjoy. I love my bebes.

“This could be anyone. There’s no standing proof that Virus and Trip did this to you. It could have been staged with your friends for all I know.” 

“They’re lying knocked out in their office with their pants down right now!”

“Virus and Trip are vital to our university staff. Their credentials are exceptional. We don’t take such accusations so lightly.”

“President, please, you don’t understand. They’ve been stalking me. It’s in the recording; they said they’d do unimaginable things to me if I didn’t cooperate, and that they know everything about me.”

“Why would they stalk you? You’re a mediocre student with no reason to interest them.” 

Gee. Thanks. 

“Because they’re insane!”

Noiz remains quiet, but I can tell he’s seething. 

“Until you can produce outstanding proof of this incident, it’s none of my concern.”

Noiz leans forward in his chair.

“And what if I take the matter into my own hands?” he says. His voice sounds darker than I’ve ever heard it.

“Then we’ll remove you from the university.”

“Wanna know who else has exceptional credentials? Me. You know full well who I am and why I’m here at this school. And you know full well what I can do to this place if you kick me out.” He mutters a few words in German and puts his hands on the desk. “You will do something about this. Now.”

The president sighs and straightens his tie, ruffled a bit by Noiz’s sudden outburst and threats.

“I’ll have campus police look into it. Just get out of my office. Now.”

“No. You will contact us with updates. You will have them arrested. And you will do it today. I’ll be contacting campus police several times throughout the day, and I’ll know if your sorry ass isn’t doing anything.”

“I can’t believe you’re talking to me like this.”

“I can’t believe you’re letting your students get stalked and raped by your staff. You can shove it. I’ll be back if I don’t hear anything from campus police. And next time, it will be with friends.” 

He says something else in German and takes me gently by the arm. I’ve never heard him speak his native language until now, and it gives me chills. 

He slams the door behind us and I flinch. I break down in tears from the stress, and Noiz sighs. 

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“Don’t thank me yet. There’s no telling if all that talk actually works. I could be suspended within the next hour for all I know.”

I try to stop the tears from streaming, but they keep coming. Everything that just happened finally hits me at full force. Noiz leads me to the nearest bathroom and gets some tissues to dry my tears. 

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“I won’t. Because if he suspends me, I barely have to lift a finger to shut this university down. I’ll find other arrangements for us, of course.”

“You can really do all that?” 

“Money is more powerful than you realize. I just don’t like to associate with it unless I need to. It’s dirty.” 

I finally stop crying and look in the mirror, hands on the sink. Noiz starts to put his arms around my waist but stops.

“Do you mind if I hug you?”

“Please…”

He hugs me from behind and whispers against my back.

“I’m so sorry all of this is happening to you. Scratch, and now this. What did you do wrong?”

“I really don’t know. That’s what I was asking myself the whole time I was on their desk. Why me?”

“I hate seeing you like this. Like when we walked from your apartment to mine the other day, I could see how scared you were in the dark. So I took your hand. I just didn’t want to see you afraid.” 

“Thank you. That little gesture meant a lot to me, but I was scared to say anything…”

“I know.” I can feel him smile against my hair. “You know you’re my first friend.”

I feel my heart hit my stomach.

“What?” I ask, weak and exasperated.

“Yup.”

“Noiz…”

“Can I kiss you?” he whispers.

“Yes.”

He turns me around and presses his lips to mine. They’re a little chapped from all his anger-biting, but I don’t care. He hugs me close as we move our lips together, slow and patient. Our tongues touch, gently, and I really have time to study that metal ball in his mouth. I pull his beanie off so I can run my hands through his hair, when someone walks into the bathroom. 

I start to pull away, but Noiz keeps kissing me, so I go with it. I hear a soft cough, but for some reason, I’m unbothered. The only thing that matters is Noiz. 

“I’ll just… go to… a different bathroom.” I hear a whisper and sense the door open and close again. Noiz gives a soft snicker against my lips, and I find myself laughing too. 

He presses his hands down my back, and it makes me feel safe. I wish I could just wrap myself into him and stay there. I’m supposed to be the older one, but I’m the weaker one. I’ve been through so much lately. I wish I could be how I used to be before all this   
anxiety. 

Noiz’s phone rings, and we pull away from the kiss. It’s a number that he doesn’t have saved into his contacts, but he answers anyway. 

“Hello... Okay… Thank you… Good luck…”

After a few moments, he hangs up. 

“What was that about?”

“Apparently my little speech worked. The president had campus police call me. Virus and Trip weren’t in their office, but there were clear signs of a struggle… nothing on the desk except a stapler, which all supports your claims. They took evidence. The   
officers seem to be on our side, and they’re on the hunt for them now. So that’s good, but also alarming.”

“Damn it.”

“I’m staying with you tonight, whether you like it or not. I don’t want them showing up at your doorstep for revenge or whatever.”

“You really don’t have t-“

“But I am.”

“Okay.” I know arguing with Noiz is pointless. 

 

Noiz skips his last two classes to come home with me, despite my protests. He sits on the sofa, Ren in his lap. I look at the two and feel my heart swell. 

“Want anything to drink?”

“Some water would be okay.”

I imagined he’d be as thirsty as I am after all that, so I get us both a bottle of water and sit down next to him. 

“Thanks.”

“Mhmm.”

I pet Ren, who has since fallen asleep with his belly up. 

“Hey, Noiz?”

“Yeah?”

“They said they knew I was having weird dreams. And they said that they were all real.”

“I doubt Ren can talk in any universe. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“I know, but… it makes you wonder. I keep having dreams about everyone I know, but in a slightly different light. Clear wearing a gas mask and carrying an umbrella… You in a flashy outfit with this rabbit cube, and Rhyme… Koujaku, but as a hairstylist. All the   
dreams about Mink.”

“Mink?”

“The leader of Scratch. That’s his name. I found out by accident and now I’m on his watchlist.”

“That’s all? You found out his name?”

“No. Some other things too. It was a wrong place wrong time kind of thing.”

“Well, those other things don’t sound too weird to me. I have weird dreams about people I know too. It’s natural.”

“But it’s hard not to think about what they were saying after my little voice incident. It’s hard to not think of their words with a little bit of truth. Maybe they are just insane though. I just can’t think of any other explanation for what happened in there. They were   
trying to push me to my limit so I would do the thing, but they punched me in the throat before I could do it. I caught them off guard the third time.”

“Hm.”

“Yeah. That’s all I can say too. Hm.”

We sit in silence for a while before Noiz speaks.

“It has to have some meaning if they were willing to stalk you so hard and so efficiently. That’s what’s getting me. That’s the only thing making me believe any of their bullshit even in the slightest. There has to be a reason they were stalking you.”

“I know. That’s what’s getting me too. That and the fact that I experienced the unexplainable. I kept hearing this voice… ‘I want to destroy.’ And I don’t know what that means either. But I sure did destroy…”

“Damnit.”

Noiz takes out his laptop and starts clicking away. What’s he doing? I lean on his shoulder to see, and the setup is so weird that I don’t know what to make of it. Is it something German? Is it the deep web? Who knows? I watch as Noiz keys into a search bar –   
alternate universes. A plethora of information pops up. 

All is silent for a good while during Noiz’s research. 

“It says, ‘Some people may experience dreams that connect together, all slightly differing from their current reality.’ Coincidental that you’re experiencing just that, and those idiots mentioned alternate universes. Two connect the dots right there.”

“That is weird. But how does that relate to alternate universes? I mean, what happens when these people have dreams like I do?”

“I don’t know. The article just kind of ends.”

We sit in silence once again while Noiz clicks away, and I find myself amazed at his work. All I know how to do is google search. Noiz really is great with computers, and it makes me wonder just how vital he is to the university since they hadn’t suspended him after his little outburst. He must be special, but I still don’t know much about him. 

“Hey. Why don’t you do something to take your mind off of all this while I research? You need a break.”

Maybe he’s right. “Yeah… I guess I’ll start packing to go home.”

I open my closet and start to dig around. I don’t usually pack much, so I typically don’t do this until the night before I leave. But Noiz is right. I need to distract myself.

“I wish I could be there for you during break,” he says with a hint of regret.

“Actually, I was going to invite you to Granny’s. Company is always welcome. I figured you might get bored over break… so… but if you don’t want to that’s okay…”

“I would. But. I’m actually booked to go back home for the week. Apparently my parents want to talk to me. Shitheads can’t do it over the phone.” 

“Yikes. Bad relationship with the family?”

“You could say that.”

I’m filled with questions. Today is the first time he’s mentioned his family at all, save for the fact that they’re wealthy. I’m shocked. I think today’s events have left him a little vulnerable to me. However, I decide not to ask any further. 

“Shame you can’t come with me then. I think you and Granny would get along,” I half chuckle to myself, thinking of Granny’s temper and need to feed guests.

“So you want me to meet your family already?” I can feel Noiz smirking, even though I can’t see his face.

“N-not necessarily. You just… you just shut your face, okay?” I say, shoving a shirt into my suitcase.

“I really am sorry I can’t be there with you. With everything going on.”

“Well… I won’t be without company, really. Koujaku lives just around the corner now and will probably be over a lot. He’s a really good fighter too, if I remember. So between the two of us, everything should be fine.”

“Ah. Koujackass. My favorite.” Noiz’s mood takes on a sparky air, and I feel bad for mentioning him. 

“Yeah… but he’s a good friend, so I’ll be in good hands.”

“I like you better in my hands,” he says, serious. 

I hear him shift to look at me, even though my back is turned to him. I slowly drop the jacket in my hand into my suitcase and turn my head ever so slightly. He’s looking at me with intensity. Either because he really doesn’t like Koujaku or because he really   
likes me. Whichever the case, it sends a shiver through me. I walk towards him cautiously. 

“Hey… I’ll be okay. And so will you.” 

I place my hands behind him on the sofa and kiss the top of his head. His hair smells good. He leans his head back, and my heart skips a beat when I’m met with piercing green. He looks younger when he’s vulnerable; he seemed like such a powerful adult   
today in the president’s office that I forgot he’s just a kid. I smile, kiss him on the piercing on the bridge of his nose, then kiss his lips. 

The kiss lasts longer than I intended, and we end up in a heated, upside-down session that leaves us both breathless. 

“Hm. I’ve never been kissed upside down.”

“Well you did say you wanted to try all sorts of things with me, so there ya go.” His statement starts to make me think. “This might be an odd question, but you saying that makes me wonder… how often have you been kissed? Any previous lovers?”

“Not really. Just hookups.” 

“I see. Same here.” 

“Loser,” he smirks.

“Says you!”

“You’re my senior, you’re supposed to have more experience than me.”

“You brat. There’s no rule that says that. Besides, you don’t know how many people I’ve slept with.”

“By the way that ass moves, I’d say quite a few.”

“Shut up! So that means you’ve slept with more? Now who’s the slut, hm?”

“I’ve just slept with enough people to figure out what I like and don’t like.”

“So cold. And did you stop once you figured out what you like?”

“No. I just kept him around.” I blush, taking the hint. “What about you? How did you figure out what you like?”

“Well,” I say, a little defensively, “I guess we could say it was just recently that I discovered sex doesn’t have to be boring. And maybe it took a bit of a connection instead of just a hookup.” 

“Interesting. So you think we have a connection.”

“Well, obviously.” 

He snorts a little and shuts his laptop. “Come.” 

“What am I, a dog?”

“If you’re into that sort of thing,” he teases.

“Shush.”

I lay my head on his lap, and he plays with my hair.

“I like being with you,” he says out of nowhere. He’s been awfully honest the whole day, but something about that statement floors me.

“I like being with you too,” I respond with all the sincerity in my body. 

The way Noiz touches my hair soothes me, and I soon fall into a deep sleep, just like that.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, hey guys! heh... it's been a while. Don't kill me! Work has been killer and all I've been doing is sleeping, eating, and clocking in again. I've been out of work with an injury though so it's given me some time to do things! My writing feels scattered lately, but I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway. Still have big plans for this fic so don't worry!

Noiz must have carried me to my bed, as I wake up in his arms. I stretch and feel Ren at my feet. I’m amazed that all three of us fit in my bed, but it warms me at the same time. 

“Did you sleep okay? Nothing weird?” Noiz asks from the get-go. 

“I dreamed, but I can’t remember what it was about. Something… Toue? Maybe it’s a good thing I can’t remember.”

“Yeah.” 

After a while, I insist on fixing us breakfast. Noiz protested that I should rest, but I won. 

We eat in silence, and Ren crunches on his own food. 

Noiz seems deep in thought, and I imagine he has a lot on his mind between everything that just happened and having to go home tomorrow. 

“Download WhatsApp on your phone. I want to make sure you’re okay even though I’ll be a little bit across the planet.”

“Okay… I’ll be fine though, I promise. But I still wanna hear from you. It’s gonna be weird not seeing you every day.”

“Yeah, who will bully you while I’m gone?”

“Probably Granny.”

He snorts in response, a little surprised that I had an answer. 

After breakfast, Noiz has to go home to pack his own things and get some sleep before he goes to the airport in the wee hours. 

At the door, we pass a gentle kiss, and it feels natural. Kissing him has become second nature. 

“I’ll miss you,” I say, after working up the courage to do so. 

“I’ll… miss you too,” he says, looking to the side. His face is cold as per usual, but I sense a bit of bashfulness. It’s cute. 

“Bye,” I half smile, closing the door slowly behind him.

 

The day arrives, and I’m both excited to see Granny and nervous to be traveling alone. It’s not a very long trip, but the thought of being alone right now terrifies me. So many things could happen between here and home. I feel very watched and wish Noiz was with me. 

I stand at the train station with my suitcase and Ren in his doggy bag, and I take a few deep breaths. This will be okay. I board my train and wait the journey out with no incident.

The air smells different when I finally reach my neighborhood. It smells like home. I can almost take in the scent of Granny cooking something. I’m practically bubbling with anticipation to find my house. Anything could happen between here and there. Let’s   
make it a game. How fast can we get there so nothing bad happens? You’re sounding insane, Aoba. Stop it. 

I finally see my door and walk inside. She’d left it unlocked for me. 

I walk in to see both Granny and Koujaku sitting at the kitchen table, smiling and chatting. 

“Granny…” I set my stuff down and unzip Ren’s bag before running up to her and hugging her. I can’t stop the tears from flowing at this point, still sensitive from everything that’s been happening.

“You… kid! What’s gotten into you? Is college treating you so badly? Sit, sit,” she grumbles. 

“Aoba? Is everything okay? Why are you crying?”

“I… They… I’m being followed. I can’t. I can’t,” I half sob.

“Who’s following you? Don’t tell me you’ve started that fighting bullshit again?” Granny looks concerned and angry.

“No. No fighting.”

“Is it that Noiz kid? I’ll kick his ass.”

“No. Noiz has been there for me through all of this. It’s…”

“Who’s Noiz?”

“Aoba’s boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s a friend.”

“Ahh. So that type of friend,” Granny confirms.

“Can we not talk about this right now? Dangerous things are happening and me having a boyfriend is the least of anyone’s concern.”

Through tears, I spill everything that’s happened. How three men have the power to ruin my life and are keeping me under watch. They both listen with frowns on their faces. 

“Tae-san… I don’t mean to overstay my welcome, but I think it’s best if I stay put for both of your sakes for a little while. This sounds dangerous.”

“Pah. I’m not so helpless, but do what you want.”

“Of course.”

“Koujaku. Thank you. I hate for you to go out of your way, but thank you. Noiz would have been here but he had to go home…”

“You two really are close, hm?”

“Yeah,” I say with confidence, unwilling to tolerate any bullying on Koujaku’s part. 

“Aoba. Go unpack your things and catch up with Koujaku. I’ll fix us something to eat. It’s been a rough day already thanks to you kids.”

“Okay, Granny. Thank you,” I smile. I missed her backhanded compliments and bittersweet attitude.

Koujaku follows me up to my room and sits on my bed as I unpack. It’s quiet for a few moments; I have so many questions I don’t know where to start. I end up just looking at him. He looks back, and we stare. We both break into laughter after a moment, and everything feels natural again. Just like when we were kids. 

“God, where do I start? First of all, where’d you run off to?” I ask him.

“Well, mom and I moved out of country; she’d gotten back with my dad.”

“Wow. That’s kind of a big jump.”

“Yeah… but while we were there… a few years later. It was a sudden, undetected cancer. And she just… died. Out of nowhere.”

“Koujaku… I’m so sorry. Your mom was always so kind to us.”

“I know… she was the best. And that. That left me with my dad. He and I did not get along. He wanted me to go to school and all, and I wanted to go into music. Not only that, but he was into some shady shit. Still can’t explain it. And it just created a lot of dissonance.”

“I’m so sorry. It’s no wonder you ended up back here.” 

He nods. “Finally, when I turned 18, I moved out, got a job, and started saving up money to move back here. In the meantime, I fell heavy into visual kei and it only strengthened my roots. I yearned for Japan. I started writing music but had trouble finding a band who shared my vision.”

“And you found that when you came back?”

“Yes. With the help of Mizuki. I wouldn’t have met my bandmates if it weren’t for him. All the artists go to Black Needle for tattoos and piercings, so he knows a few people.”

“Mizuki really is something.”

“Yeah, he is. And I’d wondered if he’d know you, but when I asked him at the time, he hadn’t met anyone with blue hair named Aoba. That was before he had any classes with you, apparently.”

“Oh yeah, he said you’d mentioned a childhood friend a few times. Had you been looking for me?”

“Yes. But it was so long ago that I couldn’t even remember where I’d lived before, so I couldn’t just show up at your doorstep. I tried looking up Tae-san, but apparently she’d changed her practice name. It was just a dead end.”

“Sorry about that. It really was a long time ago though. I can hardly remember those days.”

“I might remember them a little clearer than you; I was a bit older. That’s why I was so keen on finding you – the only friend I had.”

I smile in response and sit down next to him, finally finished unpacking and tidying up. 

“So what about you? What have you been up to?” he asks me.

“Well, I’ve led a relatively normal life. Went to school. Made good grades. Found a decent job. Got into college. Just became a business major as of a few days ago… kind of against my will… Made a few friends just recently, and here I am. Everything I just told   
you at the table is the most eventful thing to happen to me.”

“Well. That sounds boring but happy,” he laughs.

“Yeah,” I laugh a little too, thinking about how all of this started happening all at once and how boring my life was beforehand. How things change. 

“Not to mention you turned into quite the attractive young man. Not the little runt I remember.” He jabs at my ribs with a laugh.

“Says you… look at you. You turned into a visual kei god. Noiz practically had to stop me from drooling at that concert.” I don’t think about my words before they come out, and I sort of regret them.

“Oh?” he raises an eyebrow and gives a smoldering look. What have I done? I feel my palms start to sweat. 

“I mean, that was before I knew you were you, when you had all the makeup and hair stuff done, and I was just crushing on some musician, because I discovered your music when I was in a really bad time, and…” 

Koujaku moves closer, as if teasing me. 

“And?”

“And… sorry?”

“Don’t be sorry,” he purrs, “I take that as a prized compliment, coming from you.” His aura goes back to normal and he resumes his initial position. “And hey, you didn’t tell me about a bad time. What bad time?”

“Well, it wasn’t worth mentioning. I was just kind of depressed at the beginning of this semester. No friends. No lovers. Everything was a little too boring, you know? And then all at once, I meet Noiz and he pulls me out of my depression bit by bit. I start going to class again and become closer with Clear and Mizuki. Somewhere in there, Scratch happened. I find you again. I get my nipples pierc-“

“Wait, you actually did it?!”

“Yeah… that was after you left that day.”

“Let me see. I don’t believe you.”

I start to sheepishly lift my shirt when Granny calls that dinner is ready. I stand up quickly and so does Koujaku, knowing to get downstairs quickly lest we be scolded. 

As I’m about to take my first step down the stairs, Koujaku places a hand on my shoulder and says in a low, teasing voice, “I’ll see them one way or another.”

My eyes widen at the implication, and a weird feeling stirs in my stomach. It leaves me feeling awkward as I make my way down. 

 

We chat at the dinner table, telling stories and laughing until nightfall. Granny seems like she has something on her mind, but she shades it with witty remarks and backhanded comments. She can’t hide it from me, though. I’ll ask her tomorrow. 

I go to shower and look at myself in the mirror. I’ve gotten a little thinner from all the stress. Maybe being at Granny’s will remedy that. I gently touch my piercings, thinking of how Virus flicked them, and I’m relieved to find no pain or redness. Koujaku called me attractive, but I still see the same old Aoba. Scared, bullied. Just on a larger scale now. I get in the running water and rinse off the day’s agonies. 

I go back up to my room to find the balcony open. Eh? I walk outside to see Koujaku holding Ren, smoking a cigarette and looking down into the alleyway. I didn’t know he smoked.

“The shower’s open,” I say, hoping not to startle his deep thought. He looks so manly and strong.

“Thanks.” He looks at me with half a smile.

I wring my hair out over the balcony and decide it’s a good place to let it air dry.

“I always thought your hair was really pretty. That’s probably why I got so mad when people would tease you for it.”

“Thanks,” I laugh, vaguely remembering him pounding my bullies. Ah, children. 

“You know I’m not going to let anything happen to you, right?”

“Thank you. I mean that. I feel so… vulnerable and weak lately. I used to be a tough kid. Don’t know what happened. Forgot to mention that on top of my good grades, I was an excellent street fighter.”

“You?” he asks, smiling.

“Sure thing. I won all kinds of fights. Lost a few too, but don’t we all?” 

“Yes. We do.” Koujaku looks serious, and he puts out his light. His statement is heavy with subterfuge.

“So, all differences aside, how serious are you and this Noiz kid? How old is he anyway?”

“Well, he’s opened up to me a lot. He may seem like just some punk, but you seem like just some womanizer to him. So it’s only fair I defend you both. And he’s 19.”

“19?! He’s practically a baby, Aoba.”

“Just… hear me out. It started out as me thirsting for the first unique person I saw, and we ended up working together. I realized he was cold and disinterested in everything. But ever so slowly, he opened up to me more. Started teasing and joking with me more. It started as just another crush. It really did. The night of your concert we… leveled up, if you will. And from then on we’ve only gotten closer. The other day he told me I was his first friend, and it hit me hard. I don’t know what I’m feeling anymore. I can’t place it. But I don’t want to leave him alone. That’s for certain.”

“Are the two of you exclusive?”

“Not as far as I know… he mentioned me sleeping with someone else very casually… so I don’t know how he’s feeling either.”

“Interesting,” he pauses, looking at me with something heavy in his eyes, “Well, I’m going to take a shower. A cold one,” he pauses again. “Here’s your puppy.”

“Thanks,” I say, a little confused by his odd dialogue. 

I shut the balcony door behind me and plop down on my bed. I lift Ren into the air and lower him down to press his forehead to mine. Nothing is more soothing. 

My phone dings and I see that it’s a message from Noiz.

Noiz: Already want to leave. How’s everything?

Aoba: Everything’s fine. Koujaku is here. Hope things get better on your end.

I start to really think about Koujaku. 

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Koujaku is implying that he wants to sleep with me. But that can’t be the case. I’m almost certain he’s just teasing me because of what I said earlier. Koujaku is a ladies man if I ever knew one, so there’s no way he could be   
scoping me out. Right? Plus we’re childhood friends. That’d just be weird. Right?

“Right, Ren? I’m just crazy aren’t I?”

Suddenly scared that he’ll actually respond, I take my words back in the silence.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an earlyish update since I was gone so long, and because I'm starting to write like crazy again. Hope you enjoy!

I wake up and realize it’s kind of late. Granny must already be at work. I stretch and go downstairs to find Koujaku folding up a blanket by the sofa. 

“Oi, morning. Tae-san left us a shopping list, so get ready.”

“Okay,” I yawn, still feeling drained. I hear Koujaku offer a light laugh. I catch sight of a sword lying on the coffee table. He doesn’t mess around.

“You know you don’t have to sleep on this old sofa. You can roll out a futon in my room if you want.”

Koujaku tosses the folded blanket onto the wicker arm of the couch and looks at me. “Do you really think that’s a good idea, Aoba?”

I tilt my head a little, confused, and look back at him.

“Dangerously naïve, as always,” he says. “Let’s get on this grocery list.”

We head out to tackle the shopping, and it’s refreshing. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a market and not some commercialized chain store. It’s nice to pick out fresh produce and meat. Koujaku and I don’t wander far from each other, but we split the list in half to get it done faster. I find myself healing a bit in the open air.

Koujaku and I meet back up and make sure we have everything before heading home. The walk back is peaceful, and it reminds me of the two of us running around playing samurai when we were little. I start to smile to myself.

“What?”

“Just thinking about how easy it was when we were kids.”

“I think about that a lot too. We could race home if you want,” he teases.

“That’s no fun, because we both know who would win,” I laugh.

“You might would stand a chance if you didn’t have all those bags in your hands. You should really let me carry some of those.”

“Pride, Koujaku. Pride.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “I really missed you, you know?”

“Yeah?” I grin. “I would’ve missed me too. I’m a lot of fun.”

“You…” Koujaku flicks my head and I flinch, laughing. 

We make it home and put all the groceries away with diligence. Granny has a way of turning grown men into frightened young boys, but neither of us mind it. 

“I needed that,” I sigh after we successfully put everything away. 

“Me too. It’s been a while since I’ve had such a… wholesome morning.” 

“That’s a good way of putting it.”

“Well, I need to check on Beni. Wanna come by my place for a bit?”

“Beni?”

“My bird. I don’t usually spend nights away from home.”

“Ah! Yeah, sure.” 

Koujaku and I chat and banter on the way to his house, and I find that he lives very close to where I remember him living before. Still just around the bend. 

I follow him inside to a very traditional Japanese looking pad. It’s fashionable. It’s Koujaku. 

“I uh… don’t ever really have guests, so I don’t have many places to sit. You can just sit on the bed if you want.”

I take a seat and look around. Water dragons. Swords on the wall. Beautiful. Eventually, I spot a little red bird in a large cage, and Koujaku lets him out. He perches in the kitchen and gives a few happy chirps. Cute. 

Koujaku plops down on his bed and sighs. 

“Well, I can say that I relate to your depression a little. Besides Mizuki and my bandmates, I had no one. I’ve just been practicing, writing, and coming home to Beni. That’s my life now. I have all the fans now, but it’s empty, you know?

“I can see how it would be. Like those women that night… they seemed to be mindlessly following you. No substance.”

“Exactly. The attention feels nice in the moment, but you just come home feeling cold.”

“Do you ever take any of them home?” I ask boldly, but out of pure curiosity.

“Every once in a while, but I really prefer to have a connection with someone first. Otherwise it feels cold, like I just mentioned.”

“I can imagine. And like you said, it’s hard to make connections in this state.”

“Right. That’s why when I – never mind.” Koujaku suddenly looks a little frazzled, like he really caught himself saying something he shouldn’t.

“What? You can talk to me.” I try my best to reassure him. 

“When I found you again. I was so happy. And I think I’m just… a little jealous of Noiz is all.”

“Koujaku… you don’t have to be jealous. Now that we’re here again, we can pick up right where we left off. I’ll always be your friend.”

“No, I mean… jealous. Of all of it. I was happy because you were the only person I had a connection with. And when I saw you again I just, all these feelings flooded me, and then you were with him, and… never mind. It’s stupid of me.”

“Koujaku?” Suddenly all my suspicions flood back to me. Does he really have a thing for me? “Do you mean… like…?”

“Yes. I’m attracted to you, Aoba. I was hoping we could hit it off, honestly, but I can tell you’re in love. I don’t want to interfere with that. Even if I do think he’s bad news. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. And here I am just talking about him blatantly…”

“It’s okay. I just. Wish I could share that connection with you instead.” He gets on his knees on the bed and kneels behind me. “You do things to me, Aoba.” He starts to play with my hair. I feel a weird heat rise in me at his words, and suddenly my crush on him   
comes flooding back to me. I remember his singing voice, the concert, seeing him again for the first time. He backs away, and his aura shrinks. “Anyway, do you want something to drink? Some water?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” My head is swimming with everything that was just said, and the air is hell of awkward. 

I hear running water in the kitchen and feel footsteps approach. My eyes are closed for some reason, but I open them when the footsteps stop.

“Here you are, oh.” Mine and Koujaku’s feet bump, and a little of the water spills on my shirt. Way to make things a little more awkward. “I’ll get a towel.”

He comes back and kneels in front of me, wiping at the wet spot on my top. He’s awfully close.

“I can get that.”

“It’s okay, I’m the one who spilled it,” he says, looking up at me. When we lock eyes, he stops. He slides the towel down my torso and stops once he reaches my lap.

“And another thing I thought that night, when I saw you again for the first time,” he continues, staring at my stomach deep in thought, “was how that body… that body just screams that it wants sex.” 

I shiver with an unreal intensity at his words. How is he seducing me right now? I’d honestly be fine only having sex with Noiz, but something about this situation is getting me hot. Maybe my body really does radiate that kind of energy.

“Aoba…” he runs his hands through my hair again, and one of his hands lingers around my throat. “I don’t know if I can take it anymore. Being around you.” 

“Koujaku.”

Before I know it, he’s standing up and tilting my head toward him to capture me in a kiss. His lips are soft and full. Sumptuous would be a good word. They’re warm against mine while he squeezes my shoulder. I’m conflicted at first, mostly because of Noiz,   
but I melt into it soon enough. My body really does want it. Just this once with Koujaku.

“It’s taking everything in me not to tear you apart right now,” he says close to a whisper. “Is this something you want right now? Do you want me?”

“I… I do want you right now. But I can only want you right now. This… this is the only time I can want you.”

“If that’s the way it has to be, then, let’s make the best of it, yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

He takes my shirt off and looks at my nipples.

“So you really did do it. Not gonna lie, it’s pretty hot on you. Can I touch, or are you still healing?”

“Still healing, but you can touch very gently.” Truth be told, he probably shouldn’t. But I feel I’ve completely healed even though I haven’t reached the three month period yet, and I’m dying to feel someone touch me there. 

Koujaku reaches and lazily strokes at my nipples, and the sensation is heightened by the bars. 

“Mmm.” I moan a little and feel my legs instinctively squeeze together at the sensation. 

“Shit… didn’t realize it would feel that good. Your voice is really hot.” 

Hearing Koujaku curse in that low voice does something to me, and my already horny body responds to him even more. 

“Feeling it?” Koujaku asks me.

“Yes. I want to feel you.”

I start to undo Koujaku’s kimono, and he watches me while I work my hands. He shrugs out of the top to reveal a hard-cut chest and beautiful tattoos. Mizuki’s work, undoubtedly. My heart races at the sight of him, this hunk of a man, who I’m really about to   
sleep with. 

“Like what you see?” he asks. I must have been staring.

“Th-that’s none of your business,” I blush. 

“Aoba…” he pushes me down in the middle of the bed and presses his chest to mine for a kiss. The feeling of his warm skin on my own makes me feel melty. 

He kisses my neck and sucks, almost to the point of marking me.

“I would leave a little note here for your friend, but I’m not quite that mean,” he says with darkness in his eyes. 

“Yeah that would be a little awkward,” I muse. I suddenly feel guilty for getting intimate with Koujaku, but Noiz and I never established what we are or where we stand. I feel guilty anyway though. Am I actually in love with Noiz?

“It would make me happy…” he grinds against me and I moan, “…knowing he was mad. But I don’t want you to be upset.” 

“Thank you. I have a feeling- ah! That he’ll find out anyway. And I don’t know what to do when he does.”

“It’s your decision, I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”

“Thank you. I want you though. Just this once. Reuniting, you know?”

“Yeah. Reuniting.”

Koujaku unbuckles my belt and unzips my pants, and I kick the rest of his kimono off with my legs. He pulls my pants and underwear down my legs and throws them to the side. I glance up and see that he’s quite hung. A little bigger than Noiz. One boner on   
stage and it’s over for every fangirl watching. 

His body is marvelous. It feels like a sin that I should even look at it. 

He leans back over me after tossing our clothes to the floor and pins my wrists on either side of my head. Our bodies are touching, and the slightest sensation drives me nuts. My hero, my Koujaku, all grown up and on top of me. 

We end up tangled in another kiss, hotter this time. He goes at my mouth with ferocity, like it’s been pent up for years. I’m out of breath but loving it; it feels romantic and sexy, and I can’t help but make little noises against his mouth. 

Koujaku rolls his hips against mine, and our cocks rub together. I gasp, audibly flustered by the sensation, and I want to feel it again. As if upon request, he repeats the action, and I moan into his mouth. He moans back, clearly lost in himself.

“I’m trying really hard to control myself,” he whispers in my ear with shaky breaths. I almost wish he would go nuts on me; I want to see what he can do.

“You don’t have to be so gentle,” I explain. I grab his face with both of my hands and look deep into his dark eyes. “I want you like you are.”

“Fuck… Aoba…”

He flips me over roughly and lifts my bottom in the air. I was taken by surprise, but I kind of like being tossed around. 

He rakes a finger down the middle of my ass and I shiver. Bold. Before I can think any further, I feel a wet heat encircling my hole.

“Koujaku…! What are you… Ah!” 

He’s licking me. It feels so humiliating yet so good. Meanwhile, he reaches his hand under me and starts to pump at my cock. All my nerves are heightened from all the sensation, and I feel overwhelmed. I want him to stop because it’s embarrassing, but part of   
me doesn’t want it to end. 

He pushes his tongue into me, and it gives me chills. I’ve never had this done to me before, and it feels odd going at it without proper protection, but I can’t help but give in. 

Koujaku continues to stretch me with his tongue, and I fill the room with lewd sounds that only drive him. 

He stops and pulls his face away, replacing his tongue with two slender fingers. The friction drives me wild, and I want more.

“You crave this kind of thing, don’t you, Aoba? From that first moment I saw you again,” he picks up his pace, and I moan out, “I knew I’d have you in my bed. I could tell from the look in your eyes.”

“Koujaku… more,” I cry. I can’t help but want something bigger inside of me now, and I’m shameless enough to ask him for it. 

He flips me back over and bites at my thigh, tracing his tongue over my hip to nip at my side. It’s like he can’t take enough of me in. I feel wanted. I feel hot. 

“Are you ready?”

“Yes…” I look at him with pleading eyes.

He slides two fingers inside of me after sneaking around me for some lube, and he scissors his fingers one last time. I watch him roll on a condom, and I know what’s coming next as he lifts my legs up to his shoulders. 

Koujaku slides into me with a bit of friction despite my wetness. The sensation of being stretched makes me harden even more, and I push myself against him to welcome the feeling. 

As he parts me, I realize it’s the first time I’ve been penetrated since the incident. I start to feel a little uncomfortable. Is this really okay? I start to think about Noiz. Would he feel betrayed? Do I even want to have sex right now? I start to get flashbacks but try   
my hardest to push them away.

“W-wait – I can’t… yet.”

“Aoba? Is everything okay?” He stops and makes eye contact. 

“It’s. Nothing.” I look away. I can pull through. 

“It doesn’t look like it’s nothing.”

“I’m okay… I was just… it’s that the last time was…”

He sighs. 

“I didn’t even think about that, Aoba. We should stop before this goes any further. You need time.”

“I can pull through; I can –“

“You’re crying, look.” He wipes a tear from my cheek as he pulls out. I feel shame, even though I know Koujaku is caring. 

“Koujaku… I just need a minute, really. I’m fine. It just hit me out of nowhere is all, and I didn’t know how to process it yet. I want to do this.”

“I shouldn’t put my hands on someone else’s lover anyway. I know full well what I’m doing.”

“Koujaku. It’s my choice too. That’s all we are right now is lovers. No commitment. Not yet. But after all this, I think I… I think I want to commit to him. So it’s now or never.” 

He looks at me with sad eyes for a long second, then he leans in to kiss me. His kisses are passionate, and I feel horrible that I can’t fully reciprocate them. He takes my breath away, and I can’t help but make small sounds of contentment. I experienced a small hiccup, but I’m ready now. I know where I am and what I’m doing and who I’m with. 

“Aoba…” his voice is sad but full of lust. This must be painful for him. Maybe we really should have stopped. 

“It’s okay,” I murmur, tracing my fingers through his hair – which had managed to escape his hair tie and was now loose and long. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I want you.”

I feel him snake his hand down my body, slowly, sensually, and down to my exposed hole. He kisses my stomach and starts to finger me again.

“Ah!”

His hands aren’t as warm as before, and the sensation feels a little foreign, but I’m ready. 

“Ready this time?”

“Yeah,” I smile. 

He lifts my legs up once more and penetrates me. 

“Fuck. You feel so good.”

“Mmm,” I moan from behind my hand, lost in my adjusting to his size. 

He starts to move this time; I love the feeling. Something about his movements are romantic despite the heat. 

I start to notice that Koujaku is very vocal, and each sound he makes goes straight to my cock. I lean up on my elbows to better match his movements, and he seems even more turned on. 

“The way your body curves…” He strokes my stomach and comes down to grasp my swelling cock. My elbows give out, and I’m left a moaning pile on the sheets. 

“I can’t believe… this is…” he breathes, “actually happening.” His eyes are heavier with his lust than they were before, and I feel like something in him is changing. 

He grips my hips tight and rams into me hard. I gasp. The shock is soaking through my whole body. He grips me even tighter and starts a quicker pace while I grasp his shoulders. It’s like he’s just using my body, and the thought thrills me to no end. 

“Kou…ja…ku…”

He removes one of his hands from my hips to stick his fingers in my mouth. I can feel the skin on my hip breathing. 

Koujaku removes his hand from my face and starts to stroke at me again. I’ll lose it at this pace. His stamina is amazing. Almost as if he knows, he rams into me hard once, twice, three times. 

“I’m gonna… one more time…”

Once more. Twice more.

“Ah! Oh my god…” I come instantly, high on lust, and I feel Koujaku’s pace pick up again. Soon after, he groans out.

“Fuck. Aoba!” 

With all my seed spilled, the feelings settle in, and my eyes flutter shut with cum-stained guilt.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just wanted to thank you all for your comments and kudos, and a big thanks to new readers as well. I apologize for the messy update schedule, but I've been working so much that I just update whenever is convenient. I'm still writing like crazy, so stay tuned!

A day and a half passes, and I’m still mulling over my guilt from sleeping with Koujaku. I didn’t expect it to hit me so hard, but I feel like I’ve somehow cheated on Noiz. 

“Here, this should help your headaches better.”

Granny hands me a pill bottle and I accept it with gratitude. 

“Thank you. I don’t know what’s been up with the headaches. Probably stress.”

“Probably.” She almost looks like she wants to say something more, but she doesn’t. I almost want to ask, but I don’t. 

Koujaku walks in, freshly showered, and passes me a look. He knows how I feel because he feels the same way. We both regret it. 

“Even dinner couldn’t get rid of all this tension. I’m losing my touch,” Granny scoffs. 

“There’s just… a lot going on. I guess.”

She looks at me sideways and beckons me to sit down. 

“You’re special, Aoba.”

“You didn’t have to sit me down just to bully me.”

“No, Aoba. You’re a special boy. You’re in demand now. What I’m saying is, all these dreams you’re having may not be so far-fetched. Heed them.”

Koujaku furrows his brows from across the room. 

“What do you mean by that?”

“I can’t and won’t elaborate. Just pay attention from now on. Both of you.”

I look up at Granny with a frown, confused by her words. But I manage to obey. 

“Okay. Thank you,” I murmur. “I’m going to bed now. Good night, both of you.”

I receive two good nights and head up the stairs. 

My only thought is Noiz. I want to hear from Noiz. 

 

Aoba: Hey how are you?

 

I lay my phone on my chest and spread my arms out across my bed, waiting for the ding. 

 

Noiz: Can’t wait to get home and pound that ass ;)

 

Aoba: Ugh. Lewd.

 

I smile anyway, imagining him typing that with a straight face. 

 

Noiz: Anything weird happen?

 

Aoba: Not really… just weird dialogue from Granny is all. 

 

Noiz: Meaning?

 

Aoba: She told me to pay attention to my dreams. 

 

Noiz: Does she know something we don’t?

 

Aoba: Probably. But she won’t tell me. 

 

Noiz: So I guess both of our families are being a pain in the ass. 

 

Aoba: Is everything really okay over there?

Aoba: I miss you. 

 

A minute passes before he texts back, and my heart starts to race. Was that risky?

 

Noiz: I miss you too. 

 

Aoba: Good. Well I’m turning in. See you soon. 

 

Noiz: Good night.

 

My heart throbs, knowing that he maybe does miss me. I find myself wishing he were here. Shit. Am I lovesick? I wrap my arms around myself in a fetal position and close my eyes, welcoming sleep. 

 

The last day of spring break arrives quicker than ever before. Back to reality, back to homework, but more than anything, back to Noiz. 

I creep down the stairs to see Koujaku still sleeping. It’s early. He looks happier when he’s dreaming. Maybe we all do. He really didn’t have to do this for me. He didn’t have to stay and guard me like a princess, but here we are. Koujaku is very much a knight.   
And I appreciate it. I smile and head to the fridge out of boredom, hoping I don’t wake him. 

Today is the day, and I can’t help but feel butterflies. I agreed to meet Noiz at the train station later and help him settle in. I’m scared for some reason, like I don’t know how to greet him. 

I hear Koujaku stretch awake after Granny’s door opens, and it signals the real beginning of the day. 

“Mm. What are you doing up so early?”

“Fell asleep too early last night I guess,” I lie. I wasn’t about to tell him I was giddy over seeing another man. 

“Hmph. All packed, I see,” Granny spits as she sees my suitcase by the door. “Well, you’re not leaving without helping me with breakfast first.”

Translation being ‘you should eat before you go.’ I’m going to miss her all over again. 

“I’ll help too, Tae-san. Thank you for letting me overstay my welcome.”

“Pah. Just set the table, will you?”

 

Our goodbyes are bittersweet, but I make my way out of the house and toward the station with the lingering feeling of love. It shields me from my anxieties. I hold Ren close in his bag and inhale the spring air. Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can overcome my fear   
and touch base with who I used to be. 

 

After settling in to my own place, I leave to go to the station to meet Noiz. My heart pounds as the appointed time of his arrival approaches. I stand near a bench and wait. 

I jump when I hear the tracks start to rattle. It’s time. It’s the longest I’ve been away from him since I’ve met him. I’ve gotten so used to Noiz being a part of my daily life that I don’t know what to do without him. 

The train stops and people unpack the carts. None of them look quite like Noiz does. He’s easy to spot. We make eye contact, and he strides toward me.

“Hey…” I muster. My voice is a little hoarse. 

Then he kisses me. Hard. I can hear a whistle from the crowd of people.

“P-public! Noiz!”

“Don’t care.”

“I do! People are looking at us.”

“Let them look.”

Through my blushing, I manage to come back down to reality.

“L-let me get one of those bags for you.”

“How chivalrous. Been around Koujackass too long?” 

“Ugh, just give me a bag.”

He tosses me a bag that is much heavier than it looks.

“Thanks,” he flashes me a smirk. The kind that I missed so much. 

We start to walk in the direction of Noiz’s apartment. Luckily, campus is right by the station, so everything is nearby from this point. 

“Glad to be back?” I try to make conversation.

“You have no fucking idea.” 

“Sorry you had a rough time. You can tell me about it if you want.”

“Don’t wanna think about it right now.”

“I can respect that.” 

Once inside the door, Noiz sets his stuff down and looks me over with a strange tint in his eyes. 

“You feel okay?” he asks me. How odd.

“I feel great. You feel okay?” 

“Mhmm.” He edges closer to me. “You look a little different. Maybe I’m just not used to not seeing your mug every day.”

“Maybe so.”

He’s getting closer and closer, and soon enough I’m cornered against the door. His face is only a smidge from my own. I take a minute to focus on him. Our lips are close, so that our breath is touching. His eyes have a weight to them right now, like he has so   
much on his mind. When I’m done taking him in, I make the first move. 

I cup his face with my hands and kiss him. I can’t get enough of how his lips feel against my own. Noiz snaps out of his daze and takes control quick. His tongue is in my mouth, and his knee is between my legs. Hands on my shoulders, pinning me to the door. 

I feel his tongue piercing clank against my teeth as we let our bodies take over. 

He moves down to my neck, and the feeling makes all my nerves stand up. I welcome the sensation and grip his hair. I feel the skin on my neck in between his teeth. Is he marking me? For some reason, the thought lands straight between my hips. 

Sadly, he pulls away before things get too heated. 

“I should put my stuff away.” 

“Yeah.”

I follow Noiz to his room and plop down on his bed. 

“Hm. Didn’t even have to put you away. You landed right where you belong.”

“Oh shut up.” 

He snickers back at me as he empties his suitcase. Eventually he removes a small black case that looks like it was made to hold jewelry. 

“Tch.” 

He tosses it behind him. 

“What’s that?” 

“A piece of shit.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Grandmother’s engagement ring.”

“That… sounds like a little more than a piece of shit, Noiz. What’s that about?” 

He hesitates, but looks at me long and hard. He’s deciding if he wants to open up or not. 

“My parents want me to get married.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah.”

“So is that why they wanted you to fly all that way? To give you that?”

“Bingo. They even had a girl over for a fancy dinner the night I got in.”

“Double yikes. Was she at least pretty?”

“Yeah, but in case you haven’t noticed, girls aren’t exactly my thing.”

“Do your parents know that?”

“Probably. But they don’t care. Marriage in wealth is all for show.” 

“That’s rough. No wonder you wanted to leave.”

“I don’t know how I put up with it, honestly. I’m just exhausted. I’m tired of fighting back.”

“Noiz…”

“Sorry. Normally not an over-sharer.” 

“That’s okay. I want you to share.”

He continues to empty his luggage while I watch. That’s probably the most I’ll get out of him, but I’m satisfied just knowing he opened up to me a little. Marriage, huh? That’s really scary. 

“What are you going to tell them?”

“Nothing. What are they gonna do? Put me in time out?”

“They could cut you off or something, right? Doesn’t that scare you?”

“Not at all. I’d be more than happy to cut all ties with those people. I can make my own money.”

“Well I guess that’s good in a way. Independent.” 

I feel concerned about Noiz’s relationship with his family, but I don’t want to pry. Shouldn’t he at least stand up to them and tell them he doesn’t want to marry who they want? It’s none of my business though, so all I can do is support him where he stands.

Noiz zips his empty suitcase back up and drags it to his closet. When he comes back, he sits next to me on the bed and rubs his face with frustration. 

“I’m just glad I escaped that hell for now.” 

“I’m glad you’re back.”

He gives me a long glance. 

“How long have we known each other?”

The question hits me hard. How long has it really been? 

“Since the beginning of the semester I think? Four months?”

“Seems like longer,” he muses. He seems lost in thought.

“You’re right.”

“That means we’ve only been fucking for two.”

“So you don’t remember how long ago we met, but you remember that?!”

“Yeah, ‘cause I couldn’t believe it took us two months to actually do it.”

“That is a little surprising, now that I think about it.”

“Oh? So you admit you were thinking about it all that time?”

“W-what’s wrong with that?”

“Bashful little Aoba was thinking about getting laid by a virtual stranger. I like it.”

“I’m not as innocent as you make me out to be, you know. It’s not like I haven’t had my fair share of random hookups.”

“But I doubt you fantasized about them,” he says, scooting closer. “I like the idea of you seeing me once and thinking about what positions I’d put you in. Maybe you played with yourself and called out your coworker’s name. How shameful.”

“Noiz! I didn’t do anything like that. I’m not fifteen geez. I just…”

“Just what? Did you fantasize while we were sitting right next to each other?”

“Maybe.”

“Oh? Bold.” 

“And did you?” I ask, hoping to catch him in his own game.

“I didn’t fantasize. I flirted. I basically did all the work.”

“Shut up! I was trying to be professional.”

“Blushing like you’re about to orgasm isn’t professional.”

“Oh please. I wasn’t that bad.”

“Now that we’re intimate, is it what you expected?”

“I – don’t know what I expected.”

“Are you satisfied?” he asks with a sidelong glance. He knows my answer. He knows he has me wrapped around his finger. It shows on his smug stupid face.

“Don’t ask embarrassing questions.”

He chuckles and gets on his knees behind my sitting position on the bed. I feel him move my hair to the side.

“Are you satisfied right now? After being away from me?” he whispers against my neck. Great. Now I’m done for.

“That’s none of your business,” I say, realizing it came out much weaker than intended. 

“I bet your little childhood buddy tried to satisfy you while you played sleepover. But he’s not me, is he?”

“D-don’t get cocky.” 

He kisses my neck, and I lean my head back against his shoulder. I missed the way he smells. Expensive laundry detergent. 

He rubs his hands across my chest and down my stomach while he digs into my neck, and I sigh with contentment. I reach behind me to play with his hair, and I think about how happy I am like this. I want to talk to him about where we stand, but I don’t know   
when to bring it up. After sex? After sex.

His fingers trace at the skin under the hem of my shirt, and he pulls it off of me slowly. He changes his position to lay me down, then he stares at me. 

“What’s that?” he motions with his head to where my pants fall a little below my hips, just enough to reveal some fingerprint shaped bruises.

Shit.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hootyfuckinghoo it's time for an update! Not gonna lie guys, this is my favorite chapter so far. It's extremely self-indulgent so I hope you enjoy. <3

“So you did sleep with him.” He narrows his eyes and looks at the little fingertip-shaped bruises on my hips, tracing them.

“It just… kind of happened.”

“I know. It’s easy for that sort of thing to just happen with someone like you. He knew what he was doing. I can’t blame him at all.”

“I’m sorry…”

“For what? What are you sorry for?” He looks at me, cold, the way he used to when we first met. I almost feel tears rise to the surface when I’m met with nothing but a wall of green eyes. I’d gotten used to his warm gaze; I’d taken it for granted.

“I’m sorry for sleeping with someone other than you, when I’m more than satisfied with only you. I feel guilty. And greedy.”

“That doesn’t bother me. I’m just amazed that of all the people you could sleep with, you chose him. What about that guy Clear you like? Mizuki? In fact, I rather fancy the idea of you and Mizuki together… kind of a fantasy of mine. But Koujackass? Really?” 

I want to defend Koujaku, but I’m in no position to right now. So I can only look away in shame. He clicks his tongue.

“I think this calls for some discipline. So it doesn’t happen again.”

“Noiz?” He still looks cold, and I’m suddenly a little bit afraid. 

“You flubbed a little, but that’s okay. I’ll make sure you keep your eyes on me.” He grabs my hand and pulls me into his closet, where he opens a drawer full of toys. It’s more than I thought, and I’m a little intrigued. He pulls out some handcuffs and promptly spins me around to bind my hands behind my back.

“Noiz… I really don’t know if I like this.”

“Isn’t that the point of a punishment?” I shiver under his words.

I turn back around to see him dig in another drawer, where he pulls out a pair of bunny ears. Really? He places them on top of my head, and I go to take them off but remember my hands are cuffed.

“Really? Bunny ears?”

“I think they suit you.” 

Noiz takes out another item from the toy drawer, which looks to be like a cock ring with a remote. Oh no. He pulls my pants down with haste, then fits it over my mostly limp dick and adjusts it how he wants it. 

One more drawer, and he pulls out a collar with a leash. Damn. He fastens it around my neck, and I shudder under its chilliness.

“Come on,” he orders, pulling me out of the closet and toward his bedroom door.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

He leads me into the living room. I feel exposed, seeing my reflection in the wall of windows revealing the night sky. Anyone looking up could see me if they wanted to. I see the bunny ears and feel ridiculous, but I guess that’s the point.

He opens a door I’ve never been in, and a weird scent fills my nose. Hay? 

Noiz pushes me without warning, and I fall to the floor in the new room. I wince a bit, but look around to see what may be one of the last things I ever expected to find in Noiz’s home. Hay everywhere. Two big rodent wheels. Chewables scattered about the floor. And about six fat, white rabbits. 

“You… have rabbits. You have rabbits and you never told me?! How long has this room been here? Wha…” Suddenly it hits. It hits that I’m wearing rabbit ears and I’m in the rabbit cage. Oh boy.

“Yes. I had six rabbits. But now I have seven.”

His words are casual but heavy. I’m scared, yet somehow aroused by some deep dark part of my mind. 

“Yes, my seventh rabbit. The problem pet. He can’t control his sexual needs. The urge to reproduce just eats at him. He’ll sleep with anyone,” Noiz’s soliloquy makes my face burn red with embarrassment. “He’ll sleep with the seediest of people. I wonder how   
many STD’s Koujaku has. Did you let him raw you, or did he at least wear a condom?”

“Yes… it was protected” I reply bashfully. 

“Good. That means we can continue as normal without any doctor visits.”

“Noiz, this is ridiculous.”

“Rabbits can’t talk. I’d shut my mouth unless asked a question if I were you.” 

I press my lips firmly together, a little pissed, and I want to say something out of defiance when a shock takes over my body. I call out, realizing the cock ring around me is vibrating at full speed – at least I hope it’s full speed. Thankfully, it stops, and I look down to see a slight arousal. Great. 

“What did he do to you? I want to know the details.”

“What if I don’t want to share?”

The cock ring buzzes again, and it hurts. It obviously feels a little good too, since I keep getting harder, but I want it to stop.

“It started out… he spilled a little water on me and he cleaned it up and we were really close and… then we kissed and…”

“I want to know what he did to your body.”

I blush, not wanting to verbally recount mine and Koujaku’s experience in front of Noiz. But out of fear, I do it anyway.

“H-he rubbed his cock against mine…”

“How big is he?”

“I don’t know… big… a little bigger than you…”

“Tch.” He flicks the remote on again and I yell, feeling the vibrations take me over again. It stops. “What else?”

“Then he flipped me over, rough, and he…”

“He what?”

“He… ate me out.”

“Ugh.” He flicks it on again. I’m starting to get used to it, but I still make strangled noises. “His tongue in my territory. Shame.”

I blush at his implication, but feel some sort of satisfaction knowing that Noiz wants to call me his territory.

“What did he do next?”

“He went in… and he was rough with me. He had a lot of pent up feelings.” I brace myself for the shock but there’s nothing this time. He’s toying with me.

“Aww. How cute. Koujackass gets rough when he has a crush. It’s a shame. I wanted to be the first to rough you up, to mark that body as my own.” He presses the button again, but this time it’s stronger. 

“Hagh! Ah… hahh…” my face twists in pain, but my cock only gets harder. 

Without a word, Noiz disappears and shuts the door behind him. Is he going to leave me here? How long will he be gone? I start to panic and try to stand up, but my knees are weak, and I fall back into the straw. 

Soon enough, Noiz returns with his phone in one hand and something else in the other. 

“I think I’ve heard enough, rabbit.” 

The mystery item is soon revealed as a gag ball, and I start to panic again. I don’t know if I like that sort of thing. He clasps it around my head, and I almost immediately begin to drool. This is humiliating. To make it even worse, Noiz takes out his phone and   
starts taking pictures. 

“Urrr!” I try to protest, but then he starts recording me. 

“I hope you’re learning your lesson, slut bunny.” He turns the ring on full blast again and I make embarrassing sounds through the gag ball. Something soft brushes against my back in contrast with the harsh vibrations.

“Look, you’re already accepted as a member of the family. Maybe I should just leave you in here, since you like to be such an animal.”

“Hrrrgh!” I’m starting to think things are getting a bit excessive when Noiz walks up to me. He kneels to my level, starting to toy with some of the drool dripping from the ball in my mouth. He pushes me down from my upright position and spreads my legs   
apart, smearing the drool onto my exposed hole, capturing it all on camera. . He pushes a finger in, but replaces it with something else. What is it? I struggle to sit up, but I catch sight of one of the chew toys on the ground and know immediately what’s inside   
of me. 

“Urrrgghhh!” I struggle, but it’s useless. I might as well shut up and make it boring for him. 

“Shhh, don’t struggle. Just give in to it, slut bunny. It’s your natural state, being sexed up, isn’t it?”

When did he learn to talk like this? His words start to remind me of Virus’s, and I get a little uncomfortable. I don’t want to be a wimp and give in to my trauma right now, but brains are fragile. 

“God, you’re so sexy,” he says, finally turning off the vibrator. He leans down to lick at my cock, and I moan from already being super sensitive. “You’re so hard. It’d be a shame if you came too soon, so I’ll leave this off for a little bit.” 

He starts to lick my inner thigh, and he nibbles at my skin. He sucks my sensitive flesh between his teeth, and I know it’s left a mark. I know what he’s doing. How animalistic. 

Without warning, he rams the chew toy into me even harder, and I groan. I’m starting to crave Noiz despite how he’s treating me. In the back of my mind, I know it’s all an act. That he’s just “punishing” me to express his feelings of betrayal, so I hold out for   
him. Because I decide in this moment I want to stick around for him. He’s marking me; I’m giving myself to him. He’s shown me his true feelings, so I want to show him mine. 

I buck against the toy, feeling its rough edges scraping my walls, leaving me with an itchy feeling that wants to be satisfied by something larger. 

“Mm. That’s my Aoba. Just like a rabbit.” He gives a soft chuckle at my actions and leans over me to bury his face in my neck. He licks, then sucks, then digs his teeth into me. I moan awkwardly through the gag ball, loving the sensation. He’s marking me here   
too. Where everyone can see. 

“You’re… all… mine,” he whispers through little bites against my neck, and I close my eyes. Before I can stop them, a few tears trickle down my face. I wish I could wrap my arms around him, but they’re bound and numb from laying on them. I can’t even ask him to unlock me. 

“Ah… too much?” he asks me once he sees my tears, clearly ready to time out. I shake my head, though, and look at him reassuringly. 

“Well then, since you like being roughed up so much, we’ll play.”

“Uurr?” 

He stands up, and I hear him rustling around in the straw. He jerks me up and turns me on my stomach, ass in the air. I feel so lewd right now, ass up and exposed, cock hard, gag ball and rabbit getup. I get even harder at the thought of how I must look, and I see Noiz take another picture. 

Suddenly, I hear a swish and something stings my ass. Noiz had whipped me with a bundle of long, thick pieces of straw. I never would have imagined I’d feel it so much, but I did. He whips me again, and I give a quick moan. 

“Hm, as expected,” he muses, and tosses it to the side. “Can’t be bothered to go get something stronger.” 

Thank god. Everything is intense enough as it is without crops and floggers. 

He smacks my ass, and I jump and gasp but moan the next time he does it. He removes the chew toy that’d been inside of me and replaces it with two fingers. I’m still wet from all the drool, but it’s a tight fit. He fingers me rough. I love it. 

After spanking me one more time and rubbing it out, he removes his fingers, and I feel a pierced tip at my entrance. He sheaths himself inside me, all the way in. I scream out, a little too filled at once, but he starts to move. I feel him grip my hips as tight as   
Koujaku had, feel him pressing right into where Koujaku’s bruises had been left. He’ll only deepen them, but there will be some satisfaction knowing they’ve been made into Noiz’s marks – somehow new. 

He uses my body as a toy, and it feels different than usual. He’s taking his pleasure over mine, and it’s hot as hell. He uses the chain of my handcuffs as a rein and fucks me hard. I feel the tears falling from my eyes and the drool from the gag ball. I can tell   
that his pants are still on. I feel the zipper snagging at my skin when he thrusts. He wanted me so bad he didn’t even get fully undressed.

Noiz thrusts hard, and my voice is practically vibrating with his pace. He digs his nails into my side and scratches all the way down, and I yell, kind of enjoying the pain. More marks that will be left. 

“Your body is mine,” he hisses. “Your mind is mine.” He scratches down my back, and I give a low groan. 

Noiz leans into my back and uses my shoulders as leverage – holding tight. He bites the back of my neck hard while pounding me from a slightly different angle, and he drags his teeth a small ways down my back. All the sensation has me rock hard and   
moaning like a bitch. I’m painfully erect and want to be touched. 

He leans back into an upright position and quickens his thrusting, holding my hips tight. I’m about to lose it from the thought of being used so thoroughly, when my thoughts all disappear. Noiz had grabbed the remote to the cock ring again and is clicking the button in time with his thrusts. At this rate, I’ll come in no time. 

He slaps my ass again and continues to synchronize the vibrator and his thrusts. My moans have taken on a higher pitch, and I can hear Noiz hum a little with satisfaction. In moments, I feel the cum shooting out of me with force. I don’t know if I’ve ever come   
so hard in my life. I sigh out in ecstasy but feel myself being flipped over while still on Noiz’s cock. 

“I want to see your face while I come.”

His pace is scattered now, and I feel sore as he moves inside of me for a little while longer. However, I’m taken by surprise when he pulls out. I didn’t feel him climax. 

Before I know it, my face is showered in cum, some of it spilling into the holes of the gag ball. I feel it drip to the back of my throat, and one of my eyes instinctively shuts at the touch of thick liquid. I hear one last picture snap, and then the sound of Noiz   
sighing and plopping down next to me. 

He wipes the cum off of my face as best he can and urges my head up so he can remove the gag. I feel instant relief, and I suck my cheeks in to try and relieve the soreness. I feel a gentle kiss on my soaking lips. 

“That was intense,” he whispers.

“All I could think of was you after he fucked me,” I whisper through tears. I just want him to know that. 

“Sorry… was it too much?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet,” I pout. 

“Well you’re not curled up in pain, and you came pretty damn hard. If you have to think about it, I’d say it wasn’t too bad.”

“Shut up,” I sniffle.

A rabbit hops onto my heaving chest. Startled, all I can do is look at him. 

“So what are you going to do with all those pictures?”

“Look at them when I’m bored. Maybe make that last one the background on my computer.”

“Ugh.” I groan and try to smack him, but I’m too weak. 

“Hey, let’s go take a bath, okay?”

“Okay.” 

He helps me up, unlocks my handcuffs, and I follow him to the bathroom. 

When we get there, I realize I’m still wearing the ears. I snatch them off in a hurry.

“Don’t like the ears?”

“Kind of humiliating,” I mumble with a frown. 

“That was the point. I think they’re cute though. Should wear them more often.” He starts to wipe my face with a wet rag.

“No.”

He snickers, starting a hot stream of bathwater. The tub is large, as expected for such an upscale apartment, and it will easily fit both of us. 

We make eye contact in the mirror, and Noiz walks up behind me. Maintaining eye contact, he traces the marks he left on my neck.

“They look beautiful.”

“Mmm,” I agree quietly. My voice is hushed against the loud stream of water. Steam starts to dance at the corners of the mirror. 

“You’re beautiful,” he says without shame.

“T-thanks…” I look to the side, embarrassed. 

He traces the fresh, pink scratches down my side. It kind of stings. 

“Sorry. Sure you like it rough?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” I smile weakly, amused that he’s so concerned. 

He leaves the mirror to remove his pants, and I watch him. He’s beautiful too. His physique is different. Built, but still slender. Alluring. He turns the water off, and I see a full tub in the reflection. 

“Bath’s ready.” 

Noiz gets in and beckons for me to sit with my back against his chest. I follow him, and I’m immediately overwhelmed with heat. It feels good until it hits my fresh scratches, but I ease into it. Noiz’s arms snake around me, and he buries his face in my neck. I   
sigh, contented. 

“I really do feel bad that I pushed you so far.”

“I feel bad for betraying you.”

“You didn’t. I was just a little pissed at him is all. It was just a good excuse for the rabbit ears.”

“After all that you mean to tell me… ugh!”

He gives a soft laugh and hugs me to his chest. 

“You didn’t think I’d really get mad at you for having free will, did you?”

“Well, you’re a damn good actor. I’ll give you that.”

“You can thank my parents for that,” he snorts. 

All is quiet for a while as we soak in the heat, and I watch through half lidded eyes as steam rises from the surface of the water. It’s beautiful. 

“Hey, Noiz?” I’m sleepy, but I decide to ask an important question.

“Hm?”

“Where do we go from here?”

“Keep being Noiz and Aoba I guess.”

“No, I mean… what are we?”

“Ah.” Noiz goes quiet, but it’s not hostile. He’s in thought. “Friends with benefits clearly. But there seems to be a little something else there, hm? I’ve been avoiding it.”

“Why?”

He’s quiet for a good few moments again. “I guess because normally I’d see something like that as troublesome.”

“I see…” I say, kind of downcast, but not surprised.

“But…” he begins, “I don’t want you to go away. Normally I’d have my fun and then get bored.”

“But?”

“But I don’t get bored with you. I want to see you more. You showed me that people aren’t always so bad. You’re different. You’re pure. And when we’re fucking, all I can think is ‘mine,’”

“So you’re saying you like me?”

“I guess that’s what I’m saying,” he sighs in a confused tone. 

“I like you too. And I don’t want you to go away either. The fear of you leaving kind of eats at me, actually. I guess I’m scared one day you will get bored.”

Noiz chuckles. “I don’t think that will happen any time soon. Maybe I have gotten attached to you, like a pet,” he teases. 

“Shush. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want… I want… to take things a step further. I don’t want to lose you.”

“So you want to be boyfriends?”

I feel my gut jump at the word. “Y-you don’t have to be so blunt… but I guess that’s what I mean.”

“Interesting. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about what it would be like.”

“What is it like… in your imagination?” I want to know what goes on in his head, and now is the perfect time to pick at his brain.

“Probably lots of troublesome stuff. Like opening up and fighting. It’d be easier to stay friends and just fuck every once in a while. But it doesn’t seem like it can stay that way, does it?”

“I don’t think it can. I think it would be a statement of trust is all. I think things would stay the same between us, but with a higher level of trust.”

“’That so?” 

“Yeah,” I reply, sleepy.

“Then. Maybe we should think about leveling up, if it’s important to you.”

“Hey Noiz?”

“Hm?”

“Will you be my boyfriend?” 

He sighs, and I feel him smiling in my hair.

“Yeah.”

I turn around just enough to kiss him, and he kisses me back with warmth and passion. 

“You’re really lame.”

“I know,” I smile.


End file.
